Reimagining Rio Salado College
What is it
In early 2025, Education Design Lab selected Rio Salado College as one of the participants in the Reimagining Community College Design Challenge as part of the first cohort of institutions shaping the future of workforce-aligned education. This multi-year initiative is designed to explore innovative ways to ensure students have access to the skills, credentials, and career pathways needed for success in today’s ever-evolving job market.
Future-Focused Approach
Through this initiative, Rio Salado will convene a design team to explore these questions to align and develop strategic opportunities.
- How might we make skills and competencies visible to employers and learner-earners?
- How might we embed career readiness across the curriculum and guarantee applied learning opportunities in every program, for every student?
- How might we design learning opportunities as part of stackable pathways that credential skills along the way?
- How might we ensure learners have options, that learning is universally flexible with multi-modal offerings?
- How might we ensure all learners have equitable access to adequate support services?
Collective Vision
President Kate Smith shares about Rio Salado College’s Reimagining Community College efforts with Education Design Lab.
Collective Vision
This represents what the Rio Salado community aspires to achieve over the course of the four- to five-year Design Challenge - regardless of the specific activities, strategies, or pathways we choose along the way. It is the long-term “victory” that defines success at the end of this initiative.
A Seamless Student Journey
- Focus on improving the student journey, support, and visibility of outcomes.
Programs Aligned with Workforce and Community Needs
- Ensure programs and credentials align with labor market needs and employer expectations.
Sustained Employer and Partner Engagement
- Strengthen employer and partner engagement to ensure long-term workforce relevance.
Decisions Guided by Evidence
- Use research, evaluation, and data analysis to guide decisions and validate impact.
Future Read College Strategies
- High-level projects or decisions about where to invest money, time, and focus to position the college for future relevance.
Media & PR
Media and PR
- Rio Salado Joins Education Design Lab's Reimagining Community College Design Challenge
- Education Design Lab launches new challenge to design the community college of the future
- Traditional strategic planning isn’t working for most learners. Here’s how the Reimagining Community Colleges design challenge is different