2022 Alliance Annual Meeting
October 26-28, 2022
As the chair and vice chair of the Alliance, and the director of Academic Leadership Initiatives at WICHE, we would like to provide you with an update regarding the 2022 Alliance Annual Meeting. The Executive Committee met and discussed the current COVID Omicron situation. Several of our member institutions are under travel restrictions and, at this time, would not be allowed to attend the meeting.
Due to these issues, the Executive Committee has reluctantly decided to postpone the annual meeting to October 26-28, 2022. We hope the variant will be at a more acceptable level and more members will be able to attend. The location will remain the same at the Renaissance Boulder Flatiron Hotel in Broomfield, CO.
The good news is that the Executive Committee has voted to spend up to $20,000 on travel stipends to enable Alliance members and speakers to attend the meeting who otherwise might not have been able to do so due to budget cuts at your institution/system.
WICHE will share updates as more details arise.
We appreciate your understanding. Please contact WICHE staff if you have any questions or concerns regarding:
Best Regards,
Landon Pirius
Colorado Community College System
Alliance 2021 Chair
Carli Schiffner
Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Alliance 2021 Vice Chair
Sarah Leibrandt
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education
Director, Academic Leadership Initiatives
Alliance Executive Committee, Colorado Community College System
Alliance Executive Committee, Colorado Community College System
Landon K. Pirius is the vice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the Colorado Community College System (CCCS). At CCCS, Pirius provides strategic leadership for all aspects of academic affairs, student affairs, online education, workforce development, and institutional research. Prior to his current position, he was the vice president for academic and student affairs at North Hennepin Community College. Pirius also served in a variety of leadership roles at Inver Hills Community College, Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Walden University, and as an adjunct faculty member. He completed his B.A. in Russian studies and environmental studies from Gustavus Adolphus College, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in educational policy and administration from the University of Minnesota.
Alliance Executive Committee, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Alliance Executive Committee, Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
Carli Schiffner serves as the deputy executive director of education at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. She is a dedicated leader in higher education, with over fifteen years of progressive senior leadership experience in positions including interim university president, university provost, vice president for instruction, and dean of arts and sciences. Schiffner values servant leadership, collaboration, quality improvement, focusing on the whole student, an entrepreneurial spirit, equity, hard work, and a sense of humor. She has a B.A. in history and political science from Gonzaga University; a M.A. in cultural and intellectual history from Drew University; and a Ph.D. in American women’s history from Washington State University.
WELCOME TO COLORFUL COLORADO! On behalf of your executive committee and the good folks of the vital WICHE staff, we look forward to seeing you at our annual meeting October 26-28, 2022 in Broomfield, CO. We have developed a program that we know will be engaging and energizing, while providing you the time to network with like-minded colleagues from community colleges across the western United States. The theme, How Will Higher Education and the Purpose of Community Colleges Change in the Next Decade?, this year is particularly relevant to the challenges on our campuses. The pandemic has forced us all to examine our practices, programs, support services, policies, and structures with an eye to the future. We all need to rethink who we serve, how we serve them, and the vital role we play in supporting our respective communities. The focus of this year’s conference, developed with input from the membership, is to do just that. Redefining and refining our role must be a collaborative effort with our key constituents – students, community partners, workforce partners, and college employees. We are truly excited not only for the compelling conference sessions, but also to engage with you all in person.
I look forward to joining with you here in Colorado in October!
In attendance you will find colleagues from the WICHE region eager to share the lessons they’ve learned from tackling a host of institutional and academic challenges, including some of the ones you may currently be facing.
The members of the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders (Alliance) are the chief academic officers of community colleges and technical schools along with their associated system and state agencies in the 15 Western states and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States which make up the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) region. Through the Alliance, these top academic leaders share perspectives on current issues, work together on regional projects that are beyond the scope of a single institution or state, and contribute resources and expertise to build a stronger future for higher education in the West. The Alliance was founded in 2010 with support from the Western Academic Leadership Forum which is also based at WICHE.