More than 2,000 community college presidents and other senior leaders will attend the 95th Annual Convention of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) being held April 18-21 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The 2015 theme is "The Next Big Things."

This year's convention will look at where community colleges are and where they are going. Scheduled sessions will feature innovative practices at institutions that are leading to higher completion rates, as well as more robust workforce training programs, and strengthened partnerships with K-12 and four-year colleges and universities. A special spotlight session on Sunday, April 19 at 8:15 a.m. will focus on the progress made on the completion agenda. 

Prior to that, Malcolm Gladwell, author of author of " David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants ," will address convention attendees at the opening session on Saturday, April 18 at 4:00 p.m. He has authored five books, all of which have been on the New York Times bestseller list.

Kim Lear and David Stillman—known as the Generations People—will speak about workplace communication among the generations during the Hail & Farewell Luncheon on Sunday, April 19, beginning at 11:30 a.m. The luncheon honors new and retiring community college CEOs.

Closing out the AACC Convention is Robert Reich, former secretary of labor. Reich is one of the world's leading thinkers about work and the economy. In 2008, TIME magazine named him one of the ten most successful cabinet secretaries of the past century. Reich now serves as Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.

Reich will speak at the closing brunch on Tuesday, April 21. Prior to his speech, AACC will honor seven outstanding community college alumni. The honorees are author Laurie Halse Anderson , who attended Onondaga Community College (N.Y.); United States Congressman Henry Cuellar , who attended Laredo Community College ( Texas); Luke Dollar , project director for National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative, and alumnus of Bevill State Community College (Ala.); Walt MacDonald , president and CEO of Educational Testing Service, who attended Camden County College (N.J.); Professor Emeritus Elaine Nicpon Marieb , who attended and taught at Holyoke Community College (Mass.); Kimberley Motley of Motley Legal Services, an alumna of Milwaukee Area Technical College (Wis.); and Wellington Webb , the former mayor of Denver, and an alumnus of Northeastern Junior College.

FEATURED EVENTS—SUGGESTED SELECTION OF EVENTS FOR NEWS COVERAGE(All activities take place in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, unless otherwise noted.)

Saturday, April 18  4:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.—AACC 95th Annual Convention Opening Session with Malcolm Gladwell, author of "David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants."

Sunday, April 19 8:15 a.m.-10:00 a.m.—Super Spotlight Session: "Measuring Up: Progress Report on 21st Century College Completion Goals."

10:15 a.m.-11:00 a.m.—Demonstration of AACC's Voluntary Framework of Accountability.

11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.—Hail & Farewell Luncheon. Keynote speaker: The Generations People ( Kim Lear and David Stillman), generational experts.

Monday, April 20 8:30 a.m.-9:45 a.m. —Four concurrent spotlight sessions. The topics are: Building a clearer path to student success; leadership challenges; recruiting, hiring and retaining diverse leaders; and serving post-traditional students.

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.—"Higher Education Act Reauthorization: High Stakes, Big Opportunities." Session will address big topics such as the summer Pell Grant, loan policies, federal graduation rates and student aid simplification.  

http://www.thestreet.com/story/13116237/1/focus-is-on-the-next-big-things-at-95th-annual-aacc-convention.html