OICF Sponsors 20th Annual César E. Chávez Leadership Conference

Published on Mar 17 2010 in Press Release by Brent Wilder

Eight OICF colleges participated in a career and college fair associated with the 20th Annual César E. Chávez Leadership Conference on March 12 held on the campus of Western Oregon University. Approximately 1,500 Latino high school students from Multnomah, Washington, Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton and Clackamas Counties participated in this year’s conference, which is the largest Latino high school student leadership conference in the state of Oregon.

Participating students, volunteers, school staff, and community members had an opportunity to attend educational, cultural and leadership workshops; visit with college and career exhibitors, and celebrate the accomplishments of the Latino community. Representatives from OICF and CASA of Oregon presented two workshops during the conference, both regarding the MESA College Initiative and the independent college sector.

The mission of the César E. Chávez Latino Student Leadership Conference is “to instill in Latino(a) youth the value of education, which nurtures mind, body and spirit in order to develop a social consciousness that empowers them as leaders for social justice and civic responsibility in the greater community.”

Conference Goals and Objectives

  • To develop leadership skills.
  • To motivate students to complete and continue their education.
  • To strengthen self-confidence and pride.
  • To create opportunities for Latino students of the Willamette Valley and the Portland metro area to build relationships and networks.
  • To be respectful and inclusive of all people and races.

The OICF is committed to increasing diversity among our member institutions and hopes that participation in these college fairs, as well as other collaborations between OICF and community organizations serving diverse populations can assist in reaching this goal.

Diversity, and the awareness and appreciation of individual and cultural differences are critical components in the development of both the economic environment and campus life. OICF’s Pathways to Leadership Initiative, launched in 2006, is a signature effort to collectively raise funds for equitable representation of minority and first generation students on our campuses.

Pathways to Leadership is conceived as a stabilizing tripod of support for equitable levels of representation on our campuses. In order to achieve our goal of equitable representation on campus, OICF Trustees are working closely with OICF and member school staff to aggressively support recruitment and outreach, retention, and scholarship/student aid programs that benefit underrepresented student populations. Each leg of this tripod bears equal weight in addressing the challenges faced by many students from underrepresented populations:

  • adequate preparation and readiness to enter the application and enrollment process,
  • requisite mentoring to overcome cultural and practical barriers to completion of academic programs, and
  • sufficient access to financial resources to sustain enrollment.

Benefits of the Small College Experience

With an average faculty to student ratio of 12:1, OICF colleges and universities offer students a highly personalized education experience that values each student as an important member of that community. Faculty and staff are accessible and leadership opportunities abound. OICF colleges and universities represent nearly one-quarter of the total number of bachelor degrees and higher earned in Oregon annually and pride themselves on producing graduates with the requisite skills to immediately transition into Oregon’s workforce.

Since its founding in 1950, the Oregon Independent College Foundation (OICF) has raised nearly than $56 million on behalf of the member colleges from top corporations, private foundations, and individuals in Oregon and beyond and serves as a fundraising and programmatic consortium of Oregon’s ten leading private colleges and universities. Current OICF priorities include connecting students and alumni with professional workforce development opportunities, increasing diversity on the member college campuses, and programs that showcase the colleges’ focus on ethics and leadership development. For more information, visit www.oicf.org.