California Gov. Gavin Newsom is bringing together state and national experts in higher education equity and innovation to create the California Higher Education Recovery with Equity Taskforce.
Beginning this month, the task force will determine what mid- and long-term
actions the state’s education leaders, government and philanthropic institutions should take to mitigate and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Its recommendations, which will be presented by the end of 2020, will consider an array of issues, reports including teaching and learning, student enrollment, infrastructure, operations and finance. The taskforce includes well-known academicians like Dr. Shaun Harper of USC.
“These are trying times for California’s students and institutions of higher education. Recasting those challenges as opportunities requires bold vision, deep partnership, and practical ideas,” said the task force’s chair, Dr. Lande Ajose, who is also Newsom’s senior policy advisor for higher education.
“When we combine those elements, we can reimagine and rework how our world-class system of public higher education can better serve the diverse and hard-working students of the state. I know the equity-minded leaders on this taskforce can help us emerge from this moment stronger and more resilient than before.”