Previous CHERE Conferences
CHERE was founded in 2012, as a subsidiary of the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education, to serve as the primary “Thought Leader” in Connecticut’s Capital Region and around the State to stimulate discussion by a variety of actors about access to and success in higher education for underrepresented, first generation and otherwise challenged students. This mission has not changed.
What has CHERE done in 10 years?
Convened 25 day-long conferences, two 2-day conferences, and 5 half-day forums, on many campuses across Connecticut on a variety of topics all related to student retention to graduation. (See below.) Student panelists participated in all but one conference, because “student engagement” is central to CHERE’s philosophy.
Attracted more than 2000 conference registrants from many public and private colleges and universities in Connecticut, New England, and New York State. Many registrants have attended several CHERE events, and in 2020, 2021 and 2022, many virtually. Hybrid conferences were begun in December 2021 and will continue as the preferred mode of conferencing.
CHERE Conferences 2012-2022
September 2012: Retention to Postsecondary Graduation -- Guest Expert: Jennifer Keup, Executive Director, National Center for First Year Experience, held at Goodwin College.
September 2013: First Year Experience – What Works and Why? Guest Expert: Betsy Barefoot, Vice President, John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Higher Education, held at Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport. Full-day facilitation by Dr, barefoot of FYE principles, programs, and research, and discussion of how best to do FYE work.
October 2013: The Summer Melt -- held at Univ. of Saint Joseph, West Hartford. Guest Expert: Lindsay Page, Assistant Professor of Education, Learning Research & Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, plus a panel of students who had “melted” at 3 colleges before returning.
February 2014: Afternoon Forum on “Immigrants and Higher Education” Guest Experts: Carolina and Camilla Bortolleto, Founders and Directors, Connecticut Students for a Dream, held at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving. Focus on undocumented students in Connecticut.
April 2014: Student Debt and Financial Aid: What (if anything) Can We Do? at Southern Connecticut State University. Guest Expert: Sandra Baum, Research Professor of Education Policy at the George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development and Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute – frequent expert cited in articles and research on student debt.
May 2014: Seamless Counseling – Held at U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, CT. Program Directors from Higher Edge in New London, CT, College Visions in Providence, RI, Higher Heights in New Haven, CT, Bridgeport Public Education Fund in Bridgeport, CT, and Career Beginnings in Hartford, CT – all privately-funded agencies engaging in “seamless counseling” that begins working with high school seniors, helps them find an appropriate higher education choice, avoiding “summer melt,” and continuing to work with them all the way through to graduation from their chosen program(s).
September 2014: Bridge Programs: From Here to There” – Held at Western Connecticut State University. Program Directors from Western Connecticut State University, University of Saint Joseph, Manchester Community College, LaGuardia Community College, Queens, New York, and Intensive College Transition Program, Meriden – different approaches to “bridging.”
November 2014: Career and Tech Ed. Programs – Held at Housatonic Community College, Bridgeport. Program Directors from 3 state-of-the-art manufacturing technology programs: Asnuntuck Community College, Housatonic Community College, and the New England Institute of Technology, Providence, plus a panel of older students from the two Connecticut programs.
February 2015: Afternoon Forum on “Big Issues in Higher Education,” Held at Hartford Foundation for Public Giving – focused discussion of retention, first gen students, student debt, summer melt, and more.
April 2015: Future of Community Colleges, held at Tunxis Community College. Guest Expert: Dr. Elisabeth Barnett, Senior Researcher, Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University, plus a student panel of community college students from 4 schools.
November 2015: Can Non-Traditional Students Save Higher Education and Vice Versa? held at Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Conn. Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Smith, Director, University Leadership Network, University of Texas-Austin, Part one of a two-part conference. Attendees completed an “issues grid” for the April 29 conference (see below). Keynote presentation, extensive discussion and 4 workshops looked at how best to help first gen students.
January 29, 2016: “Issues Dialogue Number One” at Goodwin College. With participants from 11/13/15 and resulting discussion of “college readiness assessment” – featuring first generation programs at several schools.
March 2016: “Issues Dialogue Number Two” at St. Thomas Seminary, Bloomfield, Conn. With participants from 11/13/15 and resulting discussion of “campus engagement,” and its impact on retention, and how engagement differs from 4-year, residential schools, and community colleges.
April 29, 2016: Saving Higher Education: Finding Solutions that Work” held at Goodwin College. Keynote speaker, George Mehaffy, Vice President for Academic Leadership and Change at the American Association for State Colleges and Universities (AACSU). Part 2 of a 2-part conference, following part 1 on 11/13/15. Plus a student panel and 4 workshops, including one just for students.
October 2016: Adult Education - The New Adult Education: Key to Overdue Opportunity and a Dynamic Workforce? at Middlesex Community College. Four state-of-the-art programs presenting, plus a diverse “adult learner” student panel discussing promising and best practices in adult education as a growing trend.
January 2017: “Issues Dialogue” at Goodwin College With participants in the 10/5/16 conference, a focused discussion of “Building Partnerships for Recruiting, Retention & Resourcing College Programs for Underrepresented, First Generation, and Adult Education Students,” as prep for the 4/13/17 conference.
April 2017: Embedded Support: How It Helps, Why It Works: at Eastern Connecticut State University. Highlighting a key and growing trend in boosting retention of challenged students. Representatives of 40 campuses, including 18 from out-of-state, heard presentations on 6 programs, a student panel, and 4 program workshops. Subject also known as “supplementlal Support” or ‘Co-Requisite Education,” all designed to help the most academically challenged students master credit courses.
September 2017: “Embedded Support to Seamless Counseling to Graduation” Held at Albertus Magnus College, New Haven. Building on subjects from past CHERE conferences. Keynote address and workshop by Prof. Peter Arthur, University of British Columbia at Okanagan, “Metacognition, Grit and Growth Mindset as keys to retention,” and follow-up presention on “growth mindset” by Professor Ma
November 2017: “Hartford as a College Town,” at Hartford Public Library, modeled on Hartford’s new energy re. higher education with UConn moving downtown and its impact on all major sectors of the community, which were represented at the conference.
MEMBERS OF THE Student panel AT CHERE’s 12/6/18 conference.
June 22, 2018: “Being Diverse Isn’t Enough! Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Action! Held at University of Hartford. Keynote address by a student and responses by a student panel and professional panel. 4 workshops.
September 20, 2018 “Women in College: Building Leadership, Boosting Retention” – co-sponsored by the Aurora Women and Girls Foundation, at Connecticut Historical Society:
December 6, 2018: “Unlocking the Secret Society: Supporting Success for Men and Others” – “mini” keynote presentations by 4 leaders from different schools, including William Fothergill, creator and director of the Male Support Program at Central Conn. State University. Held at Gateway Community College
April 26, 2019: “So, I Got Into College, Now What? Guided Pathways,” Embedded Support, and More” – keynote address by Hana Lahr, PhD, Senior Research Associate, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. Held at Naugatuck Valley Community College.
October 11 & 18, 2019, “The Future of Higher Education: Big Issues and New Approaches to Achieve Success”— Held Oct. 11 at Central Conn. State University and Oct. 18 at Goodwin College: 3 panels, including 6 college/university presidents, Co-Chairs of Conn. Legislature Higher Education Committee, Hartford Superintendent of Schools, community-based agency leaders, and as at all CHERE conferences, Student Panels on both days. 15 workshops looked at a variety of issues related to retention and the future of higher ed. A majority of registrants came to both days.
2020 Virtual Conferences
July 24 – “Student Voices About Returning to Campus, Classes, and More – the Issues”
August 7 – “Institutional Changes in the Wake of Covid, Black Lives Matter, and More”
October 29 – “Mentoring” -- a Partnership with Sons of Thunder, a Hartford-based agency
December 11 – “There’s Hope: Ameliorating Trauma in Students and Educators” – a Partnership with Conn. Association of Educational Opportunity Programs, and facilitated for a full day by a national expert on trauma
2021 Virtual Conferences
May 14: “Hidden Resources for Student Support and Retention in a Post-Covid World” – full-day event
May 22: “Leveraging Your Athletic Skills for Your College Future” – partnership with Sons of Thunder
Fall, 2021: “How to Make Up for a Lost year: Academically and Socially/Emotionally, for Students and Staff”
2021 Hybrid Conference
December 10: “Getting Back to Normal in Higher Education: Issues and Strategies,” at Goodwin University – 30 registrants in person, masked and socially distanced, and an equal number of registrants on zoom. Keynote Speaker on Future of Higher Education: Chris Soto, Special Assistant to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona
2022 Hybrid Conferences
April 22: “High Impact Retention Practices” and an introduction to CHERE’s “Retention Self-Assessment Survey,” at Manchester Community College – again a combination of in-person and hybrid. Keynote speaker (on Zoom): Dr. Fay Butler, “Associate Dean for Student Affairs at LaGuardia Community College, Queens, New York
