Featured Speaker
Tuesday, December 1
Cheryl Dowd
Read: Cheryl’s Biography
California Ends Here: What Happens When Your Institution’s Activities Cross State Lines?
When a California institution’s activities occur outside the state, they need to understand what state and federal compliance responsibilities may apply. Any activity outside California raises two questions: Where is it occurring, and what oversight does that state or country have?
This session provides a broad look at state and federal requirements, including state variation for requirements for institutional and program approval, employment responsibilities, professional and occupational licensure, non-credit courses, and experiential learning. We’ll connect these requirements to Title IV access and consider compliance implications for activities outside the U.S. We’ll also introduce state institutional approval through interstate reciprocity and SARA – what it covers, and importantly, what it does not.
Keynote Speaker
Wednesday, December 2
Shaping What Comes Next: The Power of Public Higher Education in the Age of AI
California’s public colleges and universities are among the most powerful community institutions in the state. Together, the UC, CSU, and California Community Colleges reach millions of students, employers, and families in every region. They hold a level of community trust that few other public institutions can claim. As AI reshapes how people learn, work, and access opportunity, that trust becomes a source of real power.
In this keynote, Lilian Coral, a member of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and former Vice President of Technology and Democracy Programs at New America, will discuss how our public systems can do more than adopt the AI tools handed to them. They can help shape their use and impact. Technology directors in educational institutions sit at the center of this work: deciding which tools get piloted, which use cases get prioritized, and whose needs drive the design. Drawing on 20 years leading public interest technology across city government, philanthropy, and national policy, Lilian will explore how shared infrastructure, research partnerships, and collaboration with state and local government can give our institutions the collective strength to set the agenda. The future of AI will be built by someone. Our public institutions, and the communities they serve, should be among the builders.
Lilian Coral
Read: Lilian’s Biography
