News & UpdatesDREAM 2021 is just a month away! We can’t wait to see attendees and presenters—online—for the seventeenth annual convening of the nation’s community colleges and higher education leaders.
This year’s virtual gathering features five areas of focus:
- Centering racial equity
- Leveraging our localness
- Listening in new ways in the age of big data
- Fostering teaching and learning excellence
- Anchoring a bold new access agenda
In addition to the plenary and keynote sessions, DREAM 2021 will provide a range of programming to put attendees in conversation with experts and each other about the most pressing issues impacting community colleges today—and the priorities to set for the future.
DREAM Studios
New for 2021, DREAM Studios are two-hour workshops where practitioner experts facilitate a deep dive into effective practices to support your work and advance the field. Presentations focus attention on critical elements for advancing student success. Open to all DREAM 2021 registered attendees, DREAM Studios will take place on Thursday February 16.
Topics the DREAM Studios will explore:
- Community Colleges as Engines for Upward Mobility and Community Vitality
- Diving into the Postsecondary Data Partnership (PDP) Dashboards for Decision Support
- Building a Culture of Teaching & Learning Excellence
- Understanding the K–12 Landscape to Build Rigorous Postsecondary On-ramps for Non-traditional Students
Learn more and sign up for a deep dive here.
Lightning Learning
These 30-minutes forums each highlight a specific, cutting-edge innovation in higher education. Hear from your peers in the field and get inspired to bring new strategies and fresh ideas to your work in support of student success.
Topics include:
- Building a Qualitative Equity Baseline
- Making Math Relevant: Centering Students at TCUs
- The Good, the Bad, the Ugly of COVID-19 for Unconnected Students
- When Students Lead with Data
- And many more!
Plenary Sessions
DREAM 2021 plenary speakers include renowned authors, distinguished college faculty and administrators, and foundation leaders.
In each plenary, expert speakers will discuss racial equity, culturally responsive learning experiences, the power of place, and other topics that are at the forefront of community college policies, practices, and priorities today.
The DREAM 2021 Plenary sessions are as follows:
The Future is Now: Hope at the Forefront of Change
Tuesday, February 16, 1:30 – 3:00 PM EST
Speaker: Jesmyn Ward, MacArthur Genius and two-time National Book Award winner
Fostering Teaching & Learning Excellence: Creating Inclusive, Relationship-Rich, Culturally Responsive Learning Experiences for Student Success
Wednesday, February 17, 12:00 Noon – 1:15 PM EST
Dr. Peter Felten, Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, and Professor of History, Elon University
Dr. Laura Rendón, Professor Emerita, University of Texas-San Antonio
Dr. Jacqueline Taylor, associate vice president, retention & student success, Southwest Tennessee Community college
The Power of Place: Connections that Foster Student Opportunity and Community Well-being
Thursday, February 18, 12:00 – 1:15 PM EST
Dr. David Treuer, Pushcart Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author
Stephanie Hammitt, president, Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College
Gregory Haile, president, Broward College
Rethinking the Intersection of Education, Training, and Work in the 21st Century: A Roadmap to Creating More Inclusive Opportunities
Thursday, February 18, 3:45 – 5:00 PM EST
Jamie Merisotis, President and CEO of Lumina Foundation
Dr. Shanna L. Jackson, President, Nashville State Community College
Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, President, Amarillo College
Dr. Kandi W. Deitemeyer, President, Central Piedmont Community College
In an effort to increase accessibility and expand participation, we have extended early-bird registration for DREAM 2021. Now, early rates are honored until the event begins on February 16. This is an important opportunity to further your student success agenda and we want to ensure DREAM is accessible to college leaders, faculty, and staff from across your institutions. But session slots are filling up fast! Sign up for DREAM 2021 today.