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Calbright president says proposed state funding, partnerships are building momentum for adult‑learner programs
Summary
At the March 25 Calbright College Board meeting, President Menon told trustees the governor has proposed $38.1 million in ongoing funding and that recent hearings and new partnerships — including a noncredit-to-credit pathway and apprenticeship agreements — are strengthening the college’s case for expanded investment.
At its March 25 meeting, Calbright College trustees heard from President Menon, who said the college is gaining momentum in Sacramento and beyond as lawmakers and partners respond to its model for serving adult learners.
"Governor Newsom proposed $38.1 million in ongoing funding for Calbright," Menon said, adding that continued budget negotiations could grow that figure to roughly $53 million. She told trustees the college recently participated in a Senate budget hearing where lawmakers engaged with Calbright’s outcomes and supports for historically underserved adult learners.
The president credited staff and budget advocates for sustained outreach in Sacramento and singled out system leaders’ recognition of Calbright. "Policy makers are impressed and they're also inspired," Menon said, saying that recognition is translating into "continued momentum." She also thanked Chancellor Christian for calling attention to Calbright’s work at the hearing.
Menon previewed several campus initiatives intended to expand access and connect credentialing to jobs. She said Calbright has a new partnership with Nor Orange Continuing Education to create clearer transitions from noncredit programs into credit-bearing pathways, expand credit for prior learning and better align programs with employer needs.
She also described an agreement with a "launch apprenticeship network" to expand paid, work‑based learning opportunities and strengthen employer partnerships. "These are the things that position students to earn while they're learning," Menon said, emphasizing the role of employer-aligned training in accelerating students into high-quality jobs.
On quality assurance, Menon said Calbright will participate in a national competency‑based education network’s pilot to review program quality. "As a college built on competency-based education, demonstrating quality and rigor is essential," she said, adding that the pilot will provide a trusted signal to students and employers.
Menon described "Student Journey 2.0," a redesigned student-facing journey map intended to give students and staff a single shared view of progress and options to improve persistence, completion and employment outcomes.
The president’s remarks also included personnel and system updates. Board leadership changes noted during the meeting included the announcement that Bill Rawlings was not reappointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors and the chair’s appointment of Jennifer Perry as vice president of the Calbright board, which the chair described as an internal board leadership appointment; the transcript does not record a formal vote or board action on that appointment.
Why this matters: If the governor’s proposed funding is adopted and supplemented in budget negotiations, Calbright would gain materially larger ongoing resources to scale its programs for adult learners. The partnerships and quality-assurance work Menon described are intended to link Calbright credentials more directly to employer demand and to strengthen transferability and trust in competency-based credentials.
What’s next: Menon said the budget process will continue over the coming months and noted that trustees would hear more about the initiatives from vice presidents and leadership later in the meeting.
