Pomona College President G. Gabrielle Starr has been named today to the California Higher Education Recovery with Equity Taskforce, a group of leaders charged with envisioning a new approach for California’s post-secondary education preparation and workforce readiness as the state recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In response to the pandemic, colleges and universities have had to shift rapidly to remote learning while also grappling with the financial challenges of a recession. The institutions' reduced operations and the pressures of the broader financial crisis have disproportionately affected students with low incomes, those facing housing and/or food insecurity and those who are undocumented.
Chaired by Gov. Gavin Newsom's Senior Policy Advisor for Higher Education Lande Ajose, the taskforce will produce a roadmap for the state’s education leaders, government and philanthropic institutions.
“I look forward to collaborating with other experts in higher education and innovation to ensure that California post-secondary institutions recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in a more integrated, equitable and resilient way,” says Starr.
The taskforce will analyze an array of issues such as teaching and learning, student enrollment and transitions, student experience, infrastructure, operations and finance. The recommendations, to be delivered by the end of 2020, will outline specific actions that can be taken in the mid- and long-term.
The new taskforce was created by the Governor's Council for Post-Secondary Education, which serves as an independent consultative resource to the governor on the economic and social impact of higher education in the state.