Golden State. Golden Opportunity.
The world is changing for community colleges, and as usual, California is on the cutting edge. With all 114 colleges in the system committing to a completely new way of doing things, there’s daunting work to be done.
Just like Interact, the Guided Pathways movement is all about faster outcomes and clearer avenues to success. It’s a multi-faceted, high-stakes project that requires critical communications support at virtually every stage. When California called, we were honored to pick up the phone.
Much More Than a ‘Political Fad’
From the early beginnings of Guided Pathways implementation, Interact has worked with California Community College system stakeholders to gauge attitudes, identify communications strategies, and promote a seismic shift in college enrollment management, placement, persistence, counseling, instruction, and more.
The challenge? To achieve genuine buy-in for a transformative initiative, across a massive, geographically and culturally diverse state, without triggering discord or fatigue. This meant empowering the colleges themselves to build Guided Pathways, in their own, customized image, from the ground up.
Through research, strategy, creative and public relations support, Interact has helped the system deliver on that edict, clearing a path for what could be part of the single most exciting movement in the history of higher education.
A State System United
Guided Pathways is off and running in California, and Interact is proud to be working with committed stakeholders to set the pace for student success. The combined efforts are already bearing fruit, with 20 colleges well on their way to full implementation. As the project evolves, Interact continues to lend its 22 years of industry expertise to this critical endeavor.
Big Gains for Guided Pathways…
- Stakeholder Research: Focus groups, featuring versatile panels of system experts at all levels of Guided Pathways implementation.
- Communications Support: Writing and design, public relations support, and communications planning.
- Campaign and Branding: Research-driven strategic planning, and engaging, cross-platform marketing materials.
