ANCHOR LEARNING NETWORK ACCELERATOR

The Anchor Learning Network Accelerator is for CUMU member campuses that are interested in a more intensive, team-building experience than the Anchor Learning Network (ALN). While ALN is composed of professionals from a variety of institutions who have similar roles and interests, Anchor Learning Network Accelerators include up to 10 participants from a single campus. Ideally, this team represents a range of roles from across functional areas that work together to enact the campus’ anchor mission. The Accelerator cohort is especially useful for campuses trying to jump start new anchor initiatives.

Form an Anchor Learning Network Accelerator on your campus

For an additional fee, up to 10 participants from a single institution can form an ALN Accelerator cohort that works with CUMU on a nine-month tailored experience and curriculum. By the end of the accelerator, your anchor team will have a unified vision of the current state of anchor strategy on your campus and plans for moving it forward.

Each individual ALN Accelerator cohort member commits to completing program activities and collecting relevant anchor data from their campus. Individuals who do not plan to participate in the full program should not enroll.

Program activities

1. Participation in six, one-hour cohort meetings, which includes a curriculum tailored to their institutional goals/needs and self-assessment assignments that guide the team in documenting how existing programmatic and data collection efforts on their campus map onto the anchor mission. Dates for these meetings are jointly decided by CUMU and the accelerator cohort members.
2. Access to the ALN Certificate online course for each member of the accelerator cohort. The course normally costs $50 per person for CUMU members. However, access is included in the ALN Accelerator fee. All materials including schedules, readings and assignments for the accelerator cohort meetings will be accessed through the online course.
3. In addition to the cohort meetings with colleagues from their own institution, participants have opportunities to learn from experts and network with other campuses during the program. Accelerator cohort members are invited to participate in the regular Anchor Learning Network meetings and participate in any CUMU virtual programming such as webinars, community conversations and Huddles.
4. Access to the 2027 virtual ALN Action Summit, which includes two days of sessions led by experts and opportunities for networking across the entire ALN program.
5. At the CUMU Conference, participants in ALN Accelerator cohort are invited to participate in a pre-conference anchor mission meeting. Registration and travel expenses for the conference are not included in the accelerator fee.

Outcomes

By the end of each ALN Accelerator cohort, participants expand their network, develop an in-depth understanding of the three major roles of the anchor campus and explore examples of successful practices from a variety of campuses. Additionally, the accelerator team will have built a collection of resources that describes where anchor work is already happening on their campus, how existing data efforts support that work and where opportunities exist to make progress.

Foundational topics

• An Overview of the Higher Education Anchor Mission
• The Serving/Learning Role
• The Operating Role
• The Investing Role
• Data and Measuring Progress
• Communications and Next Steps

Cost

$4,000 for CUMU member institutions