Women's History Month + Women's Health

Over recent days, the news of the passing of former Rep. Pat Schroeder has me thinking a lot about women’s health – particularly during Women’s History Month. As has been written, she was a pioneer for women’s and family rights in Congress. Her legacy will live on in the policies and programs considered and reauthorized in the years to come. For more on her impact at the national, state and even metro-area level, listen to City Cast Denver’s recent podcast on her life and legacy here.

When I think about women and family issues in policy and practice in higher education, I celebrate the growing number of women and gender studies programs on our campuses; the recent (and much needed) attention on childcare support for parent learners (and higher education faculty and staff), and the growing adoption on mental health resources for students.?

In Colorado, Roberto Montoya, PhD , the Chief Educational Equity Officer at the Colorado Department of Higher Education has conceived and launched the “social determinants of student success” initiative, which has both surfaced issues and challenges, but also created some incredible networks and communities of practice for our higher education leaders. Campuses across the state have now received designations as communities supporting learners with mental health (healthy minds) and food insecurity (hunger free) challenges.

But, oftentimes, because of issues out of our control, many healthcare initiatives and programs are siloed. Without getting into the details of insurance (probably deserving of a column of its own), I did learn that it is very difficult to “bill” for multiple diagnoses on a single practitioner visit. We know that our mental health is impacted by our physical health, or for women, our reproductive health may impact our mental health. And for our students, accessing comprehensive care in support of the entire person - physical, mental and reproductive - can be challenging.?

I recently had the opportunity to interview a Pace University student, Camden Robertson about her experience getting the support she needed from her campus. In addition to sharing her story about accessing just-in-time and quality care at her institution, she talked a lot about her experience as a peer advocate as a member of the Caraway Crew.

Caraway Crew is a student-driven community, activated around accessible, high-quality healthcare for our Gen Z learners. Members of the Caraway Crew are passionate about improving the health and well-being of women in their community. Crew connects students from all over the country, helping them learn about and engage in conversations surrounding women’s health and the healthcare industry, at large. For students on your campus - or across your organization - who want to better connect with other peers in the support of comprehensive healthcare, applications are now open for the Carway Crew. To get involved, have your students submit their name, institution/campus affiliation and contact information here!

Next week – we will share a profile of our K-12 education leadership in Colorado and the impact women are having in the lives of some of our youngest learners.

Spotlight on Colorado Education and Workforce

This week, Governor Polis and members of the General Assembly announced two bills to improve workforce development in the state.?

The first, HB-1246, grants free training toward associate degrees and industry certificates in early childhood education, elementary education, firefighting, law enforcement, forest management, short-term nursing programs and construction trades, is expected to help over 20,000 Coloradans by providing tuition, fee and book/supplies support for learners. This proposed program follows Care Forward Colorado, which was created in 2022 and offered free, short-term training for healthcare across the community college system.

The second bill (yet to be introduced), would provide a $1,500 scholarship for graduating high school seniors to take with them to any trade school, community college or public college or university campus in the state. Scholarships could be used for programs in health care, manufacturing, construction, finance, engineering, STEM fields, information technology, education or behavioral and mental health.

More details on both bills here, and our team will be monitoring their movement over the coming weeks.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• Vail Symposium: Conversations on Controversial Issues: Higher Education and the Culture Wars, March 22, 6-8pm MT, Vail Interfaith Chapel
• Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC): Building an Inclusive Workforce to Realize Colorado’s Renewable Energy and Infrastructure Goals, March 22, 1pm MT (Virtual), based on the CWDC’s New Report: Realizing the Workforce Potential of Infrastructure Investments
• NEW! U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development: Breaking the System: Examining the Implications of Biden's Student Loan Policies for Students and Taxpayers, March 23, 8:15am MT (live streamed via the Committee's YouTube page)
• The Colorado Sun: Congress 2023 - with U.S. Reps. Yadira Caraveo & Brittany Pettersen, March 23, 6-7pm MT (Virtual)
• The Attainment Network: Learner Voice Summer Grant Program 2023, applications are open now until March 29
• NEW! U.S. Mission to the OECD: Diversifying Apprenticeship: Learners, Employers and Sectors, May 3, 8am MT (Virtual)
• NEW! Jobs for the Future (JFF): Partnering With Purpose: Building Partnerships to Drive Equitable Registered Apprenticeships, May 4, 11am-2pm MT (Virtual)
• University of Colorado-Boulder: 2023 Badge Summit: An Exploration of Micro-Credentials, Access, and Equity, July 24-26, Boulder, CO

What We’re Reading (and Listening To…)

• Podcast: Does Your Campus Outsource its Online Programs? Prepare for Changes, with Kelly Otter, Dean of the School Continuing Studies at Georgetown University, American Council on Education’s dotEDU?
• Federal Debt Relief Access for Colorado Adjunct Professors Passes, by Hannah Metzger of Colorado Politics
• Gov. Polis Signs Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact, by Pagosa Daily Post
• Colorado Goes Paperless: Students Will Take Computer-Based SAT and PSAT Starting Next Year, by Jason Gonzales of Chalkbeat Colorado
• Mesa County Diversion Program Offers “A Place of Safety and Guidance” For Kids on the Edge, by Nancy Lofholm with The Colorado Sun
• Future of the Carnegie Classifications to be Explored at ACE2023, by the American Council on Education

Colleagues on the Move

• Dr. Timothy Alvarez, President of Otero College , has announced his retirement effective August 11, 2023. Recruitment for this position is underway, with the goal of finalizing the Otero College President Position Profile before early March.
• Kara Freeman has been named as the new President and Chief Executive Officer for the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY BUSINESS OFFICERS (NACUBO). Freeman is joining NACUBO from the American Council on Education (ACE), where she most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer.
• David Cleary has joined DLA Piper as a Senior Policy Adviser in the firm’s health policy strategic consulting practice. He was most recently Principal Adviser to former Sen. Richard Burr, and is a Lamar Alexander and longtime Senate HELP alum.
• NEW! Vice President and Campus Dean, Spring Valley (Residential) & Glenwood Center (Non-residential) with Colorado Mountain College
• NEW! Senior Policy Analyst with the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), Remote-Washington, D.C.
• NEW! Chief Policy and Research Officer with the Colorado Department of Higher Education