Approved Equity Training Offerings & Information:

*Some options require fees or registration.  Please reach out to the Faculty Professional Development Committee or Student Equity for funding support.

Recorded Session from January 2024 Faculty Retreat:

“Becoming a Trauma-Informed Campus in Higher Education” 

Dr. Brenda Ingram, EdD, LCSW Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, USC Keck School of Medicine, Associate Director, USC Counseling and Mental Health,  and Program Director, Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention and Services, USC Student Health Center 

Dr. Ingram's talk includes: 
  • What is trauma?
  • Trauma and its response in the brain
  • Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) in communities of color 
  • Prevalence of ACEs in college students
  • Trauma impacts on college campuses
  • Trauma-informed care
  • What does it mean to be trauma-informed?
  • Essentials of trauma-informed care
  • Self-care when working with students impacted by trauma 
Recent Cuesta Led Equity Professional Development Offerings:
Engaged Racial Allyship Learning Series, Fall 2022 (Previously Recorded)

Dr. John Pascarella III conducted a 3-part professional learning series to prepare Cuesta College employees to be racial allies working in solidarity with people of color to more effectively advance racial Equity on Campus.  In this series, John presented contemporary cases of racial problems, concrete examples of racial allyship, and practical strategies that faculty, staff, and administrators can use in their classrooms, workplaces and campus spaces.  Each session included justice-oriented exercises that engage participants in opportunities to reflect critically on race and racism, analyze the sources of racial socialization, interrogate individual complicity and reproduction of racial bias, and practice actionable racial allyship strategies.  This series is organized as three 2-hour professional learning sessions.

All Recorded Sessions Now Available:

Flex Workshops

Recent Events (Links and Recordings)

California Community Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance

Cuesta College, along with over 60 other community colleges, is part of the CA Community College Equity Leadership Alliance working towards racial equity through monthly professional development eConvenings. These high-quality professional learning experiences were held virtually throughout the 20-21 academic year. Each focused on one specific topic – see an abbreviated list below in Table 1. Four-hour learning modules were delivered by experts who teach in the USC Equity Institutes. These instructors are well respected leaders of national higher education associations, highly-cited professors who study race relations and people of color, chief diversity officers and other experienced administrators, and specialists from the USC Race and Equity Center. eConvening modules focused mostly on strategies and practical approaches. Instructors used contemporary cases of equity dilemmas and racial crises on community college campuses. Emphasis was placed on learning from sagas that have recently occurred elsewhere; learning how to get ahead of situations and reducing risk of crisis; and learning actionable equity leadership strategies. Participants learned about evolving trends pertaining to diverse community college students and employees. 

Alliance member colleges also participate in a trio of campus climate surveys on a three-year rotational basis – the student survey in year one, the faculty survey in year two, and the staff survey in the third membership year. 

Table 1: List of eConvening Topics

  • Engaging in Productive Conversations About Race
  • Fostering and Sustaining Inclusive Classrooms for Students of Color
  • Understanding and Addressing Implicit Bias
  • Understanding and Confronting Anti-Black Racism
  • Meaningfully Integrating Race Across the Curriculum
  • Confronting Explicit Acts of Racism and Racial Violence on Campus
  • Recruiting and Hiring Faculty of Color
  • Equity-Minded Student Support Services
  • Implementing AB 705 and Other Legislation in Equitable Ways
  • Recruiting and Strategically Diversifying Staff at All Levels
  • Accountability and Incentives for Advancing Racial Equity
  • Creating Equitable Pathways to Leadership Roles for Employees of Color
  • Opposing the Erasure of Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and Native
  • Americans 

Access to Alliance online trainings available for Cuesta employees only.  CLICK HERE to access.  Cuesta login required.

Contact Mylea Christensen for more info

Self-Paced On-line Trainings

Recorded Webinars

Books and Other Readings