League For Innovation In The Community College

PROVIDE GRANT-FUNDED RESEARCH FROM BOTH PUBLIC & NON-PUBLIC AGENCIES, CONFERENCES (CONT'D SCHED O) AND INSTITUTES. PUBLISH AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER AND PROVIDE CONFERENCES FOR MEMBER AND NON-MEMBER COMMUNITY COLLEGES (UNITED STATES AND INTERNATIONAL) SERVING SEVERAL THOUSAND FACULTY, STAFF, ADMINISTRATORS, AND STUDENTS. EXTENSIVE EDUCATIONAL PUBLICATIONS DISTRIBUTED TO BOTH MEMBER AND NON-MEMBERS VIA PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA.

CONFERENCES AND INSTITUTES: THE LEAGUE HOLDS EVENTS TO PROVIDE FORUMS FOR MEMBERS, PARTNERS, AND NONMEMBERS TO DISCUSS CURRENT ISSUES FACING COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND SHARE THEIR INNOVATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES WITH COLLEAGUES; OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT; AND VENUES FOR TEAM-BUILDING AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT LEADING TO INNOVATIVE AND IMPROVED PRACTICE. IN THE PERIOD FROM JULY 1, 2020, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2021, THE LEAGUE HELD TWO EVENTS: (A) THE INNOVATIONS CONFERENCE WHICH INCLUDED 200 SESSIONS AND A TOTAL OF 755 REGISTRANTS; AND (B) THE LEARNING SUMMIT, WHICH WAS HELD IN A SINGLE-SESSION WORKSHOP FORMAT FOR A TOTAL OF 131 REGISTRANTS.

PROJECT: IN THE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR HUNGER RELIEF AND STUDENT SUCCESS GRANT-FUNDED PROJECT, THE LEAGUE WORKED WITH TWO COMMUNITY COLLEGES SERVING RURAL, ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREAS TO DEVELOP EFFECTIVE, INNOVATIVE MODELS FOR HUNGER RELIEF THAT CAN BE ADOPTED OR ADAPTED BY COMMUNITY COLLEGES AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS. COLLEGE TEAMS WERE TRAINED IN AND USED INNOVATION ENGINEERING TO IDENTIFY AND DEVELOP EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS. PROGRESS WAS HINDERED BY THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC; HOWEVER, IN THE PERIOD FROM JULY 1, 2020, THROUGH JUNE 30, 2021, ONE COLLEGE REPORTED DISTRIBUTING 717 MEAL KITS/FOOD, 1352 SNACK KITS, AND 30 SNACK BAGS; HOLDING TWO COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS ATTENDED BY 70 AND 40 INDIVIDUALS, RESPECTIVELY; MEETING WITH 200 INDIVIDUALS AT A CAREER & JOB BOOTH; SERVING 50 INDIVIDUALS AT EARTH DAY EVENT (CONT'D ON SCH O) AND 50 AT A CRAWFISH BOIL; SERVING AN AVERAGE OF 17.5 STUDENTS (WITH AN AVERAGE OF 4 INDIVIDUALS PER HOUSEHOLD) PER MONTH AT THE CAMPUS FOOD PANTRY. DURING THE SAME PERIOD, ONE COLLEGE REPORTED SERVING AN AVERAGE OF 4 STUDENTS PER MONTH AT ITS CAMPUS FOOD PANTRY; OTHER ACTIVITIES OCCURRED OUTSIDE THE CURRENT REPORTING PERIOD. THE GRANT-FUNDED PROJECT FIRSTLINE: INFECTION CONTROL IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE CURRICULUM BEGAN IN MARCH 2021 (EXTENDS THROUGH JULY 2022). IN THE FIRST MONTHS OF THE PROJECT, THE LEAGUE, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION AND US CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, PARTICIPATED IN EARLY PROJECT PLANNING AS WELL AS DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS FOR SOLICITING COLLEGE PARTICIPATION. THROUGH A NATIONAL APPLICATION PROCESS, 16 US COMMUNITY COLLEGES WERE SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PROJECT TO ENHANCE INFECTION CONTROL IN NURSING AND ALLIED HEALTH CURRICULUM. BEGINNING JUNE 21, 2021, THE LEAGUE HOSTED A SIX-WEEK SUMMER INTENSIVE FOR FACULTY PARTICIPANTS TO INTRODUCE THEM TO PROJECT RESOURCES AND SUPPORT CURRICULUM ENHANCEMENT. FOUR FACULTY COHORTS WERE CREATED: (1) CNA, LPN, MA; (2) EMT/PARAMEDIC; (3) NURSING; (4) RESPIRATORY THERAPY. THE SUMMER INTENSIVE INCLUDED FACILITATED ONLINE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE SESSIONS AND MASTER CLASSES LED BY SUBJECT-MATTER EXPERTS AND VIRTUAL COHORT COACHING SESSIONS FACILITATED BY PRACTICING EDUCATORS WITH CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE. FACULTY TEAMS AT THE PARTICIPATING COLLEGES HAD 2 TO 4 MEMBERS.

DISSEMINATION: FROM JULY 1, 2020, TO JUNE 30, 2021, THE LEAGUE PRODUCED A MAGAZINE, FIVE MONTHLY PERIODICALS, AND A MONTHLY NEWSLETTER, ALL IN DIGITAL FORMAT. INNOVATUS MAGAZINE WAS TRANSITIONED TO A WEBSITE FEATURING THE CURRENT ISSUE, WITH ACCESS TO BACK ISSUES, AND ANNOUNCED TO 16,020 USERS IN APRIL 2021 AS WELL AS IN TWO ISSUES OF THE LEAGUE'S E-NEWSLETTERLEAGUE CONNECTIONS. DIGITAL PERIODICALS, INCLUDING LEADERSHIP ABSTRACTS, LEARNING ABSTRACTS, INNOVATION SHOWCASE, MEMBER SPOTLIGHT, AND PROJECT HIGHLIGHT, WERE ANNOUNCED VIA LEAGUE CONNECTIONS TO AN AVERAGE MONTHLY SUBSCRIBER LIST OF 16,444. A TOTAL OF 1,397 INNOVATUS PAGEVIEWS AND 59,009 MONTHLY PERIODICAL PAGEVIEWS WERE RECORDED DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. IN ADDITION, 20 HARD COPIES OF EMPOWERING STUDENTS AND IMPROVING LEARNING THROUGH (CONT'D ON SCH O) MIDTERM STUDENT FEEDBACK, THE CROSS PAPERS, NUMBER 23, WERE SOLD THROUGH THE LEAGUE'S ONLINE BOOKSTORE.

OTHER PROGRAMS ARE MEMBERSHIP AND SPEEKING FEES.