Fresno State’s University Initiatives will take the lead in a National Science Foundation Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity, or GRANTED, conference to bring together California’s three higher education systems to create systemic pathways for the exchange of knowledge, resources and talent.

The team for Enhancing CCC – CSU – UC Collaboration/EC3 includes Dean Shirley McManus from Fresno City College, Dr. Gil Harootunian, executive director of University Initiatives at Fresno State and Dr. Maria Napoli from UC Santa Barbara.

“The work of EC3 is to mobilize knowledge and resources across the State of California’s tiered higher education system,” said Harootunian, who pioneered the effort. “This is the first time all CCs, CSUs, and UCs will come together to catalyze leveraging their vaulted talent. The undertaking is huge, and so will be the benefits for all California students.”

Nine community colleges, the Foundation for California Community Colleges, five California State University campuses, and five University of California campuses came together to develop the idea for the EC3 conference.

“The state’s system is siloed, based on an outdated master plan for California Higher Education,” said President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval. “Our experts in the three institutions have no systematic way to create synergy with academic researchers in a different system. Hence the vital importance of this work. It is visionary, as it fuses inter-systematic pathways across the UCs, CSUs and CCs. These pathways will surely expand collaborations that will enrich the research-building agenda of a more prosperous California.”

The EC3 conference will be held Oct. 19 to 20 at Fresno State. For more information, contact Dr. Gil Harootunion at gharootunian@csufresno.edu.