Our Policy Councils
Founded in 1994 by former UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Karl Pister, the Monterey Bay Educational Consortium (MBEC) is a strategic alliance among the public educational institutions in the Monterey Bay area dedicated to increasing the levels of educational attainment of all students in the region by focusing on collaborative activities. MBEC convenes the top administrative officers of the Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito County Offices of Education; school districts; regional community colleges; CSU Monterey Bay; and UC Santa Cruz on a quarterly basis. Together, they improve curriculum, pedagogy, and educational policy and work to increase the public’s understanding and support of local educational institutions.
MBEC’s mission is to increase college-going rates across the Monterey Bay region and improve the quality of teaching through the Teacher Workforce Initiative. MBEC serves to further collaborative inquiry, joint problem-solving, and information sharing among the partners. To achieve this mission, MBEC partners leverage resources, coordinate services, and provide support for all students to continue on the college-going pathway.
The MBEC Teacher Workforce Initiative (TWI) was formed to effectively address teacher workforce issues in Monterey, San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. The purpose of TWI is to develop an effective data-driven process that begins with the collection of accurate yearly data about the teacher workforce.
The UC Santa Cruz–Community College Regional Council brings together leaders of area educational institutions to develop, initiate, and maintain successful collaborative efforts to increase transfer rates from community colleges to the University of California. Established in October 1999, the Regional Council was initially convened to collectively meet the enrollment goals of the 1997 document, “Enhancing Student Transfer: A Memorandum of Understanding between the California Community Colleges and the University of California.”
This group, comprised of 13 community college presidents and the UCSC Chancellor, covers a broad geographical region that includes not only Monterey Bay and Silicon Valley but also the three community colleges in San Mateo County. Working Groups carry out the initiatives of the Regional Council, and subgroups are convened as necessary. Appointed Vice Presidents, Deans, and UCSC administrators and staff form the Policy Working Group, and Transfer Center Directors and outreach representatives make up the Services Working Group. Past and current Regional Council initiatives include:
- UC Santa Cruz-Community College Dual Admissions Program, which provided support and advisement with a guarantee of transfer admission to UCSC;
- Collaborative research projects, which identified local barriers to transfer;
- Intersegmental forum in the area of English;
- Encore program, which provides denied transfer applicants to UCSC future admission after working with advisors to complete missing requirements; and
- Annual prospective transfer student bus trip for underrepresented and low-income students to southern California campuses.
The Chancellor’s Educational Partnership Advisory Council convenes top administrators and faculty from all UCSC divisions to engage in discussions about educational partnerships and collaborations throughout the academic pipeline. The purpose of CEPAC is to:
- Provide policy oversight to the EPC;
- Provide an opportunity for representation from across the campus to shape policies related to P-20 education; and
- Problem solve challenges facing the EPC.