Calbright College
Creating Opportunity Through Innovation
At a Glance
- Goal: Establish the first statewide online, competency-based community college for working adults.
- Outcome: Calbright College launched in Fall 2019, providing 8 million working Californians new access to short-term credentials and career advancement.
- Funding: Secured $120 million in combined ongoing and one-time state funding.
- Opposition Overcome: Neutralized significant faculty union and institutional resistance through coalition building and strategic advocacy.
- Led by: Karen Zamarripa Consulting, architect of the two-year advocacy and public-affairs campaign.
“We were not proposing ‘just another college,’ but one that focused on the needs of the student and the employer—above the needs of the institution.”
Background
In 2017–18, Governor Jerry Brown and Chancellor Eloy Oakley called for a new model of education for California’s working adults — a statewide online, competency-based community college offering flexible, low-cost pathways to certificates and credentials.
Despite its promise, the proposal faced deep skepticism. Faculty unions, local community colleges, and even academic leaders opposed it, arguing the new college was unnecessary or would harm existing programs.
Strategy in Action
To overcome entrenched opposition, Karen Zamarripa Consulting designed and led an integrated advocacy and communications campaign that went far beyond traditional lobbying.
Key Tactics:
- Coalition Building: Unified employers, business groups, unions, chambers of commerce, reform advocates, and community organizations — including the Bay Area Council, NEXT GEN, Campaign for College Opportunity, NAACP, WEAVE,and the California Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.
- Neutralizing Opposition: Secured support or neutrality from key unions such as SEIU-UHW, SEIU Local 1000, CSEA, and ultimately CTA, ensuring representation and reducing resistance.
- Coordinated Advocacy: Mobilized coalition members to meet with legislators, testify in hearings, and engage in targeted media outreach.
- Strategic Communications: Partnered with public-affairs teams to amplify the message through earned media, social channels, and local press — reframing the debate around student and workforce needs rather than institutional competition.
Results
Outcome: Calbright College opened in Fall 2019, marking the creation of California’s first statewide online community college.
The campaign secured $120 million in state funding and overcame fierce political opposition to establish a bold new model of adult education. Today, Calbright College serves millions of working adults — offering short-term, affordable credentials that prepare them for jobs with real living wages, benefits, and security.
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