The Campaign for College Opportunity

📊 The priorities in this agenda reflect a shared responsibility to build higher education systems that are responsive to student needs and accountable for equitable outcomes.

They highlight the critical role policy plays in strengthening access, supporting student success, and sustaining higher education as a pathway to long-term opportunity and economic mobility. 🎓✨

The Campaign’s 2026 Policy Agenda underscores how policy decisions shape students’ experiences across California’s higher education systems.

💡 Legislative priorities matter. They determine whether students have the resources and opportunities they need to succeed.

📘 Read the 2026 Policy Agenda through the link in our bio!

The Campaign is proud to cosponsor the “Mapping the Transfer Terrain” deep dive session at Just Equations’ annual conference, The Mathematics of Opportunity: Meeting the Moment, on April 16.

This free, virtual session will explore key barriers students face along the transfer path and how some states have been working to smooth the transition to a four-year college.

Speakers include Donna Linderman, Aisha N. Lowe, Ph.D., and Janie Valdes. The session will be moderated by Heather Adams.

Register now through the link in bio!

Headed to SXSW EDU 2026? We’re joining two conversations that get at the same question: what does it look like to protect opportunity for students when the national landscape is shifting fast?
 
📍 Monday, March 9 | Standing Strong: Safeguarding DEI in Higher Education
The Campaign will be in conversation with & of about how colleges and universities can uphold their mission, protect progress toward closing racial equity gaps, and keep strengthening pathways to college attainment amid changing political dynamics, funding pressure, and governance questions.
 
📍 Wednesday, March 11 | Defending College Access for Undocumented Students
We’ll be sharing the stage with , , & to discuss how institutions and advocates can strengthen protections, respond to emerging challenges, and ensure undocumented students and students in mixed-status families can continue pursuing their higher education goals.

President Jessie Ryan and Executive Vice President Dr. Feliza Ortiz-Licon will be in Austin leading two important sessions: Safeguarding DEI in Higher Education (March 9) and Defending College Access for Undocumented Students (March 11).

The conversations ahead center equity, access, and what it takes to stand firm for students right now. Here are a few songs that reflect the mindset we’re bringing to the event: steady, grounded, and unapologetically committed to opportunity.

If you’re attending, we hope you’ll join the panels and follow along as we head to Austin.

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🎶 It’s a wrap!

From groundbreaking policies to celebrating 20 years of student-centered advocacy, 2004 to 2024 was a playlist of progress! Here’s what made our 20 years a hit:

⭐️ Influencing nearly $7 BILLION in budget investments since 2004.
📊 Dropping 103 research publications to inform equity-driven change.
💡 Advocating for historic wins
🌳 Honoring incredible changemakers at our annual event

✨ None of this would be possible without our students, partners, funders, and YOU—our biggest supporters. We look forward to our continued partnership as we meet the challenges ahead on behalf of students.

On December 11, we are proud to recognize an extraordinary group of leaders whose unwavering partnership has powered us to advance racial equity and student success to transform higher education:

✨ Estela Bensimon, Ed.D.
University Professor Emerita, USC
✨ Maria Blanco
Founder & Emerita Director, UC Immigrant Legal Services
✨ Pamela Burdman
Founder & Executive Director, Just Equations
✨ Pamela Haynes
Board Member, CA Community Colleges Board of Governors
✨ Eloy Ortiz Oakley
President & CEO, College Futures Foundation
✨ Vincent Pan
Co-Executive Director, Chinese for Affirmative Action
✨ Fred Ruiz
Chairman Emeritus, Ruiz Foods
✨ Thomas A. Saenz
President & General Counsel, MALDEF
✨ J. Luke Wood, Ph.D.
President, Sacramento State University

Join us in Sacramento for Vision and Action for Equity: Rooting Justice in Higher Education to celebrate these remarkable changemakers alongside policymakers, student speakers, live entertainment, and more.

📅 Don’t miss this unforgettable evening!

has been signed by , ending legacy & donor preferences in private college & university admissions. We are thankful to Asm. for championing this gamechanging legislation and our partners for their unwavering leadership in getting this bill passed 👏

“The Campaign for College Opportunity is proud that California is rewriting its higher education legacy to be one of fairness and student-centered inclusion. AB 1780 ends the practice of rewarding the wealthy and connected, prioritizing college access for our most vulnerable students—many of whom are minoritized, low-income, and/or first generation—to ensure they finally have a fair shot at accessing a college education, graduating, and contributing to our multi-racial democracy and economy,” said Jessie Ryan, president of the Campaign.

Last night, signed into law! We thank him for continuing to lead the TRANSFERmation for students, and also thank Assemblymember for championing simplified transfer by authoring this bill. 🧑‍🎓🎉

“Transforming transfer for students caught in the transfer maze has been more than a decade in the making, and this policy helps ensure that California streamlines the Associate Degree for Transfer in STEM with the oversight to eliminate equity gaps. We applaud Governor Newsom for removing another barrier to student success. California’s future will be powered by the millions of diverse community college students who seek to transfer in high-demand fields,” says President Jessie Ryan ().