San Joaquin Delta College selected for statewide program

STOCKTON — San Joaquin Delta College is among 20 community colleges throughout the state selected to participate in the California Guided Pathways Project.

The project is designed to increase the number of students who earn a certificate or degree at California community colleges.

The idea is to provide students with clear frameworks to guide them through choosing the courses and programs they need for their chosen careers.

“Guided Pathways helps clarify a framework for colleges to help students who face barriers to completing a college education. We want students to select a program and stay on the path,” said Dr. Kathy Hart, president and superintendent of Delta College.

The maps make it simpler for students to make decisions when it comes to their academic and career options. Students can use them to choose a program of study and develop a year-by-year plan within that program, with predictable schedules, frequent feedback from faculty and staff, and discipline-specific support.

But they’re only the starting point. The project involves institution-wide support networks for students, including stronger academic advisement programs, non-academic support, a wider network of internship opportunities, upgraded technological tools for student use, programs to bridge the jump from high school to college, and more.

Along with Delta College, American River and Cosumnes River colleges in Sacramento were selected for the pilot program.

Over the next three years, colleges in the program will assign teams to create career pathway maps for their students. Each five-person team will include the college’s president and a faculty leader. These teams will attend a workshop to guide them through the pathway creation process, and a team of coaches will be available to answer questions and offer guidance to the teams.

Participating colleges will pay a fee of $15,000 per year.

The California Guided Pathways Project was launched in December 2016, and the majority of the funding comes from the College Futures Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the Teagle Foundation, and participating colleges.

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