
The ACCCA Mentor Program is a statewide, year-long learning opportunity that provides an invaluable personal and professional development experience. Program participants are selected for demonstrating a potential for expanded leadership roles in their current, or future, responsibilities within the California community college system.
Identify administrators, faculty and staff who have demonstrated a potential for expanded leadership roles in their current responsibilities with the California community college system.
Provide learning experiences to expand and enhance participant’s current leadership skills and abilities.
Offer appropriate training for administrators.
Provide participants with a network for career opportunities.
Encourage Mentor Program participants to seek expanded leadership opportunities within their regions or the statewide system.
Assure the availability of a diverse pool of skilled leaders for the future administrative needs of the California community colleges.
Encourage the networking of participants inter-regionally in support of improved working relationships and communications across the state.
To be accepted into the ACCCA Mentor Program you must agree to participate in all mandatory activities including: 35 hours of training, two annual conferences (orientation and graduation), the Spring and Fall Retreats, a Day with the Chancellor, and the Budget Workshop.
The fee for the Mentor Program is $1,850 in addition to being a dues paying ACCCA member.
- Kick-Off Meeting at the 2024 Annual Conference: February 21-23, 2024 in Garden Grove, CA (registration and accommodations are paid by the participant.)
- Spring Retreat (North & South – included in program fees.)
- Fall Retreat (North & South – included in program fees)
- Day with the Chancellor: January 2025 in Sacramento (included in program fees)
- Graduation (at the Annual ACCCA Conference): February 2025 (registration included in the program fee/accommodations are paid by the participant.)
The role of the Mentor is to serve as a guide, role model, colleague and expert to their Mentee. The Mentor guides the Mentee in the development and completion of their learning contract, exposes their Mentee to new and complex administrative tasks and processes, teaches their Mentee how to learn new administrative skills on their own campus, and introduces their Mentee to higher-level management systems and practices. Additionally, the Mentor frequently gives advice to their Mentee in the preparation of application materials and interviews for promotional community college administrative positions.
ACCCA Mentees and Mentors develop an excellent, caring network of highly competent professional colleagues in the State. Many of the relationships that developed when the program began in 1988 still flourish today.
The ACCCA Mentee Retreat and other Mentor Program activities are heavily participation-oriented with an emphasis on skill building and collaborative learning. Each Mentee completes a learning contract, which has a strong leadership component, encouraging participants to immediately apply knowledge, principles, and skills acquired or enhanced through the ACCCA Mentor Program. Mentees are responsible for arranging at least four face-to-face meetings with their mentor.
Applications for the 2024-25 cohort are now closed.
All applications will be vetted by our program team. Selected participants will be notified in the coming weeks.
If you would like to be notified when applications open for the next cohort, please join our interest list.
For more information on the Mentor Program, contact the ACCCA office at (916)443-3559 or email events@accca.org.