With nearly half of American undergraduates attending community colleges, this lecture by OCCRL Director Eboni Zamani-Gallaher will call attention to the core mission of the institutions and how they are a centerpiece of institutional diversity in America and a predominant pathway to postsecondary study for historically underrepresented and underserved students. Community colleges have played a critical role in advancing opportunity within the realm of mass higher education. Having originated to broaden participation, they occupy the intersection of social justice and educational change. Additionally, community colleges have provided scores of people with access to postsecondary education, individuals who otherwise would not have access to higher learning.
The title of Dr. Zamani-Gallaher's talk is "Advancing the Social Justice Imperative of Community Colleges: Reconciling Democratic Principles Amid Elite Interests." She will highlight in her lecture the misalignment of the current administration regarding the core mission of community colleges misinterpreting their role, as well as postsecondary education as an economic return for the individual rather than for the collective public good.
A food and poster session will take place from 6-7 p.m. with the lecture to follow at 7 p.m. The event will take place at McMenamins in Wilsonville, Oregon.
Sponsor: Charles E. Carpenter Lecture and Conference Endowment at Oregon State University