Community colleges are experts at “growing talent for local and global impact,” and the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) celebrated this theme during its 2024 national conference in Savannah, GA, on February 14-16, 2024. 

During the event, the nation’s brightest community college administrators, educators, and researchers convened to explore the value of accessible, affordable community college bachelor’s (CCB) degree programs. 

“This year, we focused on building programs, pathways, and industry partnerships that promote local, workforce-ready talent to support positive social and economic outcomes for students, their families, their communities, and beyond,” says CCBA President Dr. Angela Kersenbrock.

In addition to interactive workshops and networking, the conference, which took place at the Hyatt Regency Savannah, featured nationally recognized keynote speakers and celebrated CCB student and colleague successes, including: 

• Presentation of the 2024 Student Scholarship Awards. These $1000 scholarships are funded by the CCBA Board of Directors and honor academic excellence in those seeking a community college baccalaureate degree. 

o    2024 Honorees included Jamie Oltersdorf, Yavapai College; Ruth Beatriz Morales Pelaez, Seminole State College of Florida; and Christopher Ward, Seminole State College of Florida. 

Oltersdorf is enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Business program at Yavapai College.

• Presentation of the inaugural Debra D. Bragg Dissertation Award, which recognizes an individual who has completed an exceptional doctoral dissertation that examines topics pertaining to community college student baccalaureate attainment, to Dr. Tammy Sanders who completed her dissertation - "Equity-minded Recruitment of Latinx Students into Community College Baccalaureate Programs” - at New Jersey City University. 
• Recognition of the 2024 Pioneer Award honorees: President Madeline Pumariega of Miami Dade College and Dr. Tonjua Williams, president of St. Petersburg College. The award is presented annually to individuals who have “bravely and tenaciously served as a leader in improving access for community college graduates into baccalaureate programs.” 

At the close of the conference, Kersenbrock announced that the 2025 CCBA National Conference will take place in Austin, Texas February 5-7, 2025. 

ABOUT CCBA

Since 1999, the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) has been the nation’s only organization dedicated to promoting baccalaureate degrees on community college campuses as a means of closing racial, ethnic, and economic gaps by providing its members access to research data and strategic guidance as they develop and implement their baccalaureate degree programs.

Yavapai College became the first rural community college in Arizona to offer a baccalaureate degree in the fall of 2023 with the launch of its Bachelor of Science in Business program.

Building on that momentum, YC launched its second baccalaureate degree, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, in January 2024.

“Our goal is simple – we want to launch degrees that make sense for community members of all ages, demographics, and occupations. Degrees that can instantly transform lives, help them reach a higher job level, increase their wages, start something new, grow something current, and most importantly, not be gouged with financial or travel burdens. We want our students to graduate from YC, and we want them to stay in Yavapai County,” said Dr. Lisa B. Rhine, President of Yavapai College.

Yavapai College operates six campuses and centers throughout Yavapai County and offers over 100 degrees and certificates, two baccalaureate degrees, student and community services, and cultural events and activities.

To learn more about YC, visit www.yc.edu.