Each year, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) honors community colleges that serve as exemplars in reimagining institutions not as they are, but as they should be.
The winners are announced at the AACC annual meeting, taking place in New Orleans on April 22-25, 2017.
The nominees for the Advancing Diversity category include the institutions listed below.
Hillsborough Community College — Florida
According to the journal Community College Review, Hillsborough Community College is the ninth largest of Florida’s community college systems. Minority enrollment is 53 percent of total student enrollment, and most of the minority students are Hispanic. The school’s diversity has grown by 6 percent over five years.
The college has worked on expanding its diversity initiatives in recent years, and the efforts of the Diversity Council have been integral to this mission. One of the council’s jobs is to review existing initiatives and submit recommendations. “Courageous Conversations,” a collaborative speaker series that examines current events and policies that affect the community, is one such successful diversity initiative.
In 2016, panelists discussed unequal access to mental health care, disproportionately affecting minorities, non-English speakers and the economically disadvantaged. “An Unexpected Journey: The Life of a Trans Woman in America” explored the experiences of two transgender women. A third Courageous Conversations session delved into different perspectives on immigration policies and their impact on undocumented students.
