Staff members from the Boise State Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) visited Los Angeles, Calif. for the 25th annual National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) national conference.
The 3-day conference invites concurrent enrollment programs from across the nation to network and explore best practices through breakout sessions. According to the NACEP national conference, over 1,100 concurrent enrollment staff members were in attendance.
“Being able to connect with other concurrent enrollment professionals is key,” Associate Director Karina Smith said. “Learning about best practices and ways to ensure how best to support students is important and so many of the sessions focused on ensuring that the students are kept front and center when making decisions about program priorities and how best to proceed.”
This year’s conference celebrated the Boise State CEP as one of 20 concurrent enrollment programs to be reaccredited with NACEP, extending the CEP’s status as the longest-tenured NACEP program in Idaho. The CEP was honored on Monday, Oct. 27 during the newly and reaccredited program celebration.
Additionally, Smith was recognized for her work as postsecondary institutional representative for the NACEP Accreditation Commission. The commission met for an in-person meeting on Saturday, Oct. 25 prior to the start of the conference.
Juarez-Coca, Smith and Markley Host Breakout Sessions
Director Fabiola Juarez-Coca co-hosted the “Best Practices & Issues for Four-Year Institutions Forum” on Monday, Oct. 27 with Dr. Mike Giazzoni, the NACEP board of directors’ four-year public postsecondary institutional representative and the director of the University of Pittsburgh’s College in High School program.
The session invited concurrent enrollment staff members from 4-year institutions to share current issues with their respective programs.
The following day, Smith and Academic Student Success Coordinator Jessica Markley hosted “Lights, Camera, Enroll: The Script for Supporting Concurrent Enrollment Students in Their First Year.” The session highlighted research findings the CEP found on former CEP students and their first-year experience in college.
More information on the CEP’s first-year experience findings will be shared at a later date.
“This presentation was designed to get concurrent enrollment professionals to think about the bigger picture of concurrent enrollment,” Smith said. “When specifically working with high credit count dual credit students it is important not to just think about the credits that they are earning, but also how the earning of those credits might impact the students’ college experience.”
Learn more about the national conference with the NACEP web page. To read more about the Boise State CEP reaccreditation, visit the September CEP Staff Spotlight. To read more on Smith’s role in the NACEP Accreditation Commission, visit the April CEP Staff Spotlight.