8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Travis CD, Third Floor

Breakfast

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Presidio Foyer, Third Floor

Registration

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Welcome Remarks

• Hon. Pauline Medrano, Treasurer, Dallas County, Texas; NALEO President

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session I:

Understanding the Texas Landscape

Latinos have experienced considerable growth in Texas and are projected to be the largest population group in the state in the coming decade. Fueling this increase has been the growth of the young Latino population. This session provided participants with an overview on current and projected demographic changes in the state and explore the implications of such trends on education and the economy.

• Dr. Steve Murdock, Director, Hobby Center for the Study of Texas, Rice University
PRESENTATION

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session II:

Cultivating Higher Education for a Strong Texas Economy

Texas’s economic power has traditionally been linked to the state’s public higher education system, in which its 106 postsecondary institutions serve as engines of economic mobility and prosperity. For the state to stay competitive in the global economy, experts have indicated that 60 percent of Texans will need a postsecondary credential by 2030. The state’s higher education plan, 60x30TX, focuses on reaching this goal. With more than 700,000 Latinos currently enrolled in postsecondary institutions across the state, it is evident that the future of the state’s economic prosperity is dependent on institutions being able to increase the number of Latino graduates who are prepared to meet the changing demands of the 21st Century economy and labor market. This session provided participants with an update on efforts being led by key stakeholders as they work together to meet the 60x30TX goals and prepare our future educated workforce.

Session Chair: Dr. William Serrata, President, El Paso Community College

• Mr. Jacob Fraire, President and Chief Executive Officer, Texas Association of Community Colleges

• Mr. Julian Alvarez III, Commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission

11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session III:

Strengthening Texas’ Leadership to Increase Student Success

Today’s changing economic environment demands innovative and effective leadership and education policymaking from all levels of government. Fulfilling the goals under the 60x30TX plan depends upon a bold and diverse community of leaders who are eager to seize opportunities and embrace the challenge of leading evolving educational systems and tackling barriers that students encounter in their communities. This session equipped policymakers with data trends on the diversity make-up of the leadership roles in postsecondary educational institutions, Latino student enrollment data in K-12 districts, and highlighted cross sector strategies that support policies and practices that promote Latino student success in the classroom and beyond.

Session Chair: Hon. Joe Alderete, Jr., Board Vice President, Alamo Colleges District

• Dr. David Ortiz, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU)
PRESENTATION

• Dr. Mike Flores, Chancellor, Alamo Colleges District
PRESENTATION

Additional Resources: 1 | 2 | 3

12:45 p.m. – 12:55 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Roundtable Policy Discussion

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Travis CD, Third Floor

Luncheon Presentation:

Census 2020 – Make it Count!

• Ms. Erica Bernal-Martinez, Chief Operating Officer, NALEO Educational Fund

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session IV:

Leveraging the Transfer Process to Improve Student Success

Students who depend on community college transfer as the pathway to four-year attainment are more likely to be first-generation and/or low-income students. In Texas, work has been done to better align high school dual enrollment coursework with college course requirements. Yet students still accumulate excess credits which may not count towards their postsecondary degrees. To better support students and lower institutional costs, leaders at postsecondary institutions have strengthened practices to improve transfer rates and apply student credits; allocate resources for high school dual enrollment program advising; and encourage stronger regional collaboration between two- and four-year institutions to align offerings with regional labor market needs. In this session, policymakers were informed of efforts that are being led by state, system, and institutional leaders around transfer strategies to improve the experiences and outcomes for baccalaureate-seeking transfer students.

Session Chair: Dr. Cesar Maldonado, Chancellor, Houston Community College District

• Dr. Lauren Schudde, Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy, College Of Education, The University of Texas at Austin
PRESENTATION | Resources: 1 | 2

• Ms. Eyra Perez, Technical Assistance Coordinator, Excelencia in Education

Resources: 1 | 2

4:00 p.m. – 4:10 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Roundtable Policy Discussion

4:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Break

4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session V:

Policy Implementation: Short and Long Term Strategies

Policymakers must work collectively to respond to the challenges facing their constituents and regions. This session provided policymakers with an opportunity to engage in a rich discussion to develop an action plan with short and long term strategies to improve student academic and workforce outcomes in their communities.

5:05 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.
Catalina Ballroom, Lobby Level

Evaluations

5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Closing Remarks

6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Republic ABC, 4th Floor

Opening Reception

Host:
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Co-Host: State Farm®

Opening Reception Patron:
JP Morgan Chase & Co.

Opening Reception Supporter:
The PFM Group

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Travis CD, Third Floor

Breakfast

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Presidio Foyer, Third Floor

Registration

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session VI:

On the Road to Prosperity: Academic and Postsecondary Pathways

In many institutions of higher education, students are left to navigate a complex array of student support services and academic programs to successfully attain a postsecondary degree. Many students become discouraged and drop out because they do not see a clear pathway to meet their academic goals. Therefore, Texas has begun to implement academic and postsecondary pathway models aimed to support more youth in completing high school and attain college degrees or credentials for high-demand occupations throughout the state. These pathway approaches call for policymakers to restructure academic and career pathways at a systemic scale that lead to students’ end goals of transfer and college completion. This session provided an overview of the various pathways approaches being implemented throughout the state and highlighted early findings from institutions implementing these reforms to create clearer pathways to support student academic success.

• Dr. Cynthia Ferrell, Executive Director, Texas Success Center, Texas Association of Community Colleges
PRESENTATION

• Dr. Martha Ellis, Director, Higher Education Strategy, Policy, and Services, Charles A. Dana Center; The University of Texas at Austin
PRESENTATION | Resource: 1

Additional Resources: 1

10:30 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Roundtable Policy Discussion

10:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session VII:

Bolstering the Texas Workforce: Leading through Regional Collaboration and Systems’ Alignment

and coordinate the implementation of services to better align investment decisions that drive regional workforce outcomes. While regional partnerships that bring cross-institutional and sector coordination are promising strategies that can increase the economic mobility of students, there are many challenges that prevent coordinated alignment. In this session, participants explored relevant, high-impact, and large-scale strategies focused on student outcomes and employment needs to support the leadership development and capacity needed to coordinate regional efforts to strengthen tomorrow’s workforce.

• Ms. Elizabeth Sobel Blum, Senior Community Development Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas
PRESENTATION | Resources: 1

• Mr. Andres Alcantar, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Texas Association of Business

Additional Resource: 1

12:00 p.m. – 12:10 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Roundtable Policy Discussion

12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Travis CD, Third Floor

Networking Luncheon

1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session VIII:

From College to Career: A Discussion on the Future of Texas

Texas’s higher education system is a driver for the progress and prosperity of the state’s economy. As the economic and labor markets continue to change, policymakers along with key stakeholders have an opportunity to work collaboratively to ensure that all students are ready to meet present and future workforce and labor demands. This session offered participants the opportunity to engage with key stakeholders from North Texas to reflect on topics presented throughout the Policy Institute and explore actionable opportunities to ensure students are equipped to meet the demands of a 21st Century workforce.

Session Chair: Ms. Diana Flores, Board President, Dallas County Community College District

• Ms. Anne Motsenbocker, President, Chase Dallas, JPMorgan Chase & Co

Resource: 1

• Dr. Joe May, Chancellor, Dallas County Community College District

• Dr. Eric Ban, Managing Director, Dallas County Promise, The Commit Partnership
PRESENTATION

2:45 p.m. – 2:55 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Roundtable Policy Discussion

2:55 p.m. – 3:25 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Session IX:

Policy Implementation: Short and Long Term Strategies

Policymakers must work collectively to respond to the challenges facing their constituents and regions. This session provided policymakers with an opportunity to engage in a rich discussion to develop an action plan with short and long term strategies to improve student academic and workforce outcomes in their communities.

3:25 p.m. – 3:35 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Evaluations

3:35 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.
Presidio ABC, Third Floor

Closing Remarks