Riverside City College Hosts Student Success Team Guided Pathways Retreat Focused on Equity and Inclusion
Riverside City College (RCC) held its Student Success Team Guided Pathways Retreat on Wednesday, January 22, bringing together student support professionals from across the college’s Pathway and Cultural/Affinity Engagement Centers for an intensive, equity-focused workshop.
The retreat, held in CIS A114B, provided an important opportunity for collaboration among Student Success Team members, including Faculty and Program Coordinators, Deans, Educational Resource Advisors, Specialists, and Clerks. Representatives from all six Pathway Engagement Centers and seven Cultural/Affinity Engagement Centers were in attendance.
Pathway Engagement Centers (6 total)
- Advanced Technical Arts and Trades and Education and Teacher Preparation Engagement Center
- Business, Law, and Computer Information Systems (BLCIS) Engagement Center
- Fine and Performing Arts (FPA) Engagement Center
- Health-Related Sciences (HRS) Engagement Center
- Languages and Humanities/Social and Behavioral Sciences (LHSS) Engagement Center
- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Engagement Center
Cultural/Affinity Engagement Centers (7 total)
- Athletics Engagement Center
- Foster Youth and Guardian Scholars Engagement Center
- La Casa Engagement Center
- Mesa Engagement Center
- Rainbow Engagement Center
- Umoja Engagement Center
- Veterans Engagement Center
The retreat featured a two-part equity workshop facilitated by Dr. Lorena Newson, RCC’s new Dean of College Equity, Inclusion, and Engagement, and Dr. Kristi Woods, Vice President of Planning and Development.
In Part 1, participants explored the background of equity efforts at RCC, including statewide Student Equity initiatives and the Vision 2030 framework from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office. The session also introduced the P-A-N Technique—a strategy to help teams engage in difficult and courageous conversations by emphasizing:
- P - Pay
- A - Attention
- N - Now (respond in the present moment)
While PAN-ing, teams were presented with images and scenarios designed to spark discussions around perceptions, perspectives, and interpretations of content. This activity encouraged participants to engage with one another, fostering a deeper understanding of individual approaches to navigating difficult conversations. It also highlighted the importance of social and emotional awareness while servicing students within the work environment.
Part 2 focused on the creation of Equity Statements for each Student Success Team. Through guided activities and discussions, teams identified individual and group values, strengths, and commitments to equity. A customizable template was provided to help each team craft a statement that will guide their future initiatives and programming. Teams were encouraged to display their finalized Equity Statements prominently within their respective Engagement Centers as a visible reminder of their shared commitment to equity and student success.
The retreat represents RCC’s ongoing commitment to fostering equity-minded practices across all student services and engagement areas. By providing dedicated time and space for dialogue, reflection, and action planning, RCC continues to prioritize the success of all students through intentional, equity-centered work.