Chandler Gilbert Community College is among three Maricopa Community Colleges that have been selected to join the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program’s expanded Unlocking Opportunity network. 

Chandler-Gilbert Community College joins GateWay Community College and Paradise Valley Community College as among the 55 institutions nationwide chosen for this three-year initiative designed to help community colleges reform programs and improve student outcomes.

“We are excited to have CGCC, GWCC, and PVCC join this initiative,”  Steven Gonzales, Maricopa Community Colleges chancellor, said in a release. “The Unlocking Opportunity network’s strategic approach to systemic reform works to ensure students graduate with credentials or bachelor’s degrees that lead to high-demand careers, upward mobility, and generational change, which aligns with our system's mission.”

The initiative addresses a growing national effort to align programs and student advising with what matters most to community college students—leaving college with a high-value credential that results in a good job or transferring and completing a bachelor’s degree, whether offered at Maricopa Community Colleges or another traditional four-year college or university. 

Participating colleges will work with the Aspen Institute to assess programs, set goals and implement research-based strategies to increase student success.

Over the next three years, leaders from CGCC, GWCC and PVCC, along with the other selected colleges, will participate in virtual and in-person sessions focused on scaling reforms that align with available high-demand careers and bachelor’s degree pathways in their region.

Using lessons from successful reforms implemented by the 10 Unlocking Opportunities pilot institutions, the new 55 colleges will set goals to increase student enrollment in and completion of high-value workforce and transfer programs, while decreasing lower-opportunity pathways.

The 10 pilot institutions from the original Unlocking Opportunity program are on track to collectively move more than 20,000 students into high-value programs of study that lead to in-demand roles.

For three years, Aspen will track and support progress for 65 participating colleges. Aspen will use insights from this work to inform the broader field through fellowship programs, publications, and state partnerships, providing professional development opportunities to college leaders and teams.

“Chandler-Gilbert Community College is excited to join the Unlocking Opportunity network,” CGCC President CJ Wurster said in the release. “Through our partnership with the Aspen Institute, we look forward to delivering high-quality university transfer pathways for our students and preparing them for fulfilling careers by strengthening programs to ensure they meet employer and industry needs.

"CGCC is dedicated to advancing student success by providing an education that equips students with the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in today’s workforce and rise to the demands of the future.”