Last week, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) 2023 National Conference brought together members, partners, sponsors, exhibitors, and college access and success professionals at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, TX.
Nearly 1,300 attendees participated in three days of workshops, roundtable discussions, plenary sessions, and networking. Additionally, nearly 500 individuals attended the Better FAFSA® Better Future Training for FAFSA
Completion Supporters hosted by NCAN and the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA).
Below, we’ve summarized the days’ events and activities. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll dig deeper into various sessions and experiences and share them with you.
Pre-Conference Activities
Before the conference even officially began, NCAN members and partners were already getting to work affecting change. The College and Career Readiness (CCR) Fellows, Leading for Equity (LFE) Fellows, and Oak Cohort all met on Sunday, October 15.
The CCR program focuses on professional development in order to grow the fellows into more effective college and career readiness leaders in their schools, communities, and states. The LFE fellowship is a year-long program designed to increase the number
of leaders of color represented in the C-suite within organizations in the college attainment field. The Oak Cohort consists of grantees of the Oak Foundation's "Supporting Students with Learning Differences" project.
Also on Sunday, certified Mental Health First Aid instructors Marian McGee of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and author Dr. Marian "MJ" Jefferson conducted a Mental Health First Aid training. Participants learned how to identify, understand,
and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges.
Day One
Monday, October 16 marked the *official* start of #NCAN2023. NCAN CEO Kim Cook, Board President Steve Colón, and Dallas’ first poet laureate Joaquín Zihuatanejo welcomed attendees to the conference at
the Opening Plenary at 9 AM. This was followed by the Annual Membership Meeting, hosted by NCAN staff, and then the Plenary Fireside Chat. This session, hosted by Allan Golston of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
and William Serrata, President of El Paso (TX) Community College, covered how to build well-designed and supported pathways along the education to workforce continuum that bridge
the gap from K-12 to college to career, leading to greater economic mobility.
Following the Fireside Chat, attendees enjoyed lunch, during which the CollegeBound Foundation was presented with NCAN’s Member of the Year Award.
Monday afternoon’s sessions consisted of various roundtable discussions covering postsecondary access, readiness, and success. Also occurring was Identity-Conscious Connections, a networking event which allowed participants to with shared identities identities
the opportunity to share and fellowship around issues and identities that matter to them.
Day one closed out on a positive note at the Opening Reception with attendees dancing and enjoying hors d’oeuvres and drinks.
Day Two
Tuesday, October 17 kicked off with roundtable discussions on connecting college and career success as well as data, policy, and advocacy. The morning’s plenary session focused on how to respond to the Supreme Court’s decision to ban race-conscious admissions
and was hosted by Sharea Woods, Director at Educate Texas, Catalina Cifuentes, Executive Director at the Riverside County Office of Education and NCAN Board Vice President, Jenny Rickard, President and CEO of Common App, and Narietha Carter-McClain, Government Relations Co-Chair at the Texas Association of College Admissions Counseling.
Following lunch, attendees cycled between more roundtable discussions on organizational leadership and capacity building. The highlight of the afternoon was the Lightning Talks Plenary Session; Gary Linnen, CEO of PeerForward, Melissa Connelly, CEO of OneGoal, and Sara Urquidez, Executive Director of the Academic Success Program, each spoke about why college still matters.
Above, from left to right: Gary Linnen and Sara Urquidez speaking at the Lightning Talks Plenary Session.
Day Three
The final day of #NCAN2023 opened with three spotlight sessions: the TxCAN pitch competition, an update from FSA on Better FAFSA, and a session on creating and sustaining regional networks.
At the Student Voices Closing Plenary, Jarian Kerekes, Head of Social Impact and President at Equitable Foundation, moderated a panel of three students from NCAN member organizations:
Jordy Mendoza, Elexis Fisher, and Cadence Banks. They discussed what led them to and through postsecondary education and what might make the journey better for them and their peers.
Although the Closing Plenary marked the official end of programming, nearly 500 attendees stayed behind for the Better FAFSA® Better Future Training for FAFSA Completion Supporters. Participants left with a clear understanding of new FAFSA terminology
and definitions, additional consent requirements for IRS income tax data transfer, how FAFSA questions have changed, and why the FSA ID is more important than ever.
Above: Jarian Kerekes, Cadence Banks, Elexis Fisher, and Jordy Mendoza speaking at the Student Voice Closing Plenary.
NCAN thanks all our members, presenters, partners, sponsors, and exhibitors who helped to make this year’s National Conference a success! In the coming days, we will highlight various roundtable discussions and plenary sessions. Stay tuned to our blog, social media pages, and Success Digest!
Email to a Friend
