The recent National Council on Continuing Education and Training (NCCET) conference held in Portland, Oregon featured a session on the Transformative Change Initiative (TCI) and the Oregon CASE grant. Ms. Cynthia Andrews, Statewide Director of CASE and Ms. Laura Lausmann, TAA Liaison – TAACCCT shared their successes with serving more TAA-eligible recipients than any other Round One

TAACCCT consortium in the nation, and their successes are indeed very impressive! Overall, CASE reached 284 TAA-eligible individuals (unduplicated headcount), resulting in $18.7 Million in federal TAA funds distributed to Oregon’s 17 community colleges, and some TAA students received more than one credential in the form of certificates and degrees. Factors that contributed to CASE’s success included providing a dedicated point of contact for partners and reaching out to Rapid Response teams that address employer layoffs/shutdowns. Services of particular note in assisting TAA-eligible students are educational/career planning and extensive use of career pathways. Without these services, CASE leaders believe their students would not have achieved as much success.

CASE is a founding member of the Transformative Change Initiative.

Dr. Debra D. Bragg is the founding director of the Office of Community College Research and Leadership