Dr. Mordecai Brownlee Joins National Leaders at Student Success US 2025 to Confront the True Cost of College

Last week, Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee participated in an extraordinary plenary session at Student Success US 2025, addressing one of the most urgent—and too often overlooked—truths in American higher education:

College affordability is about far more than tuition.

During the discussion, Dr. Brownlee emphasized that for many learners—especially those from low-income backgrounds—the real barriers to access and completion are the non-tuition costs that are rarely acknowledged with transparency. These include the essential expenses that shape everyday life and academic success:

• Housing

• Food and basic needs

• Transportation

• Childcare

• Technology and digital access

• Mental wellness supports

• The opportunity cost of time

As Dr. Brownlee underscored, these hidden and underestimated costs determine who enrolls, who persists, who completes a credential of value, and who ultimately attains economic mobility.

The panel brought together national leaders who are advancing transparency and equity around the true cost of attendance:

• Nicole Siegel, Senior Program Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

• Catherine Brown, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, National College Attainment Network

• Mark Huelsman, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Hope Center for Student Basic Needs

• Anika Van Eaton, Vice President of Policy, uAspire

Dr. Brownlee expressed deep appreciation to Colleen Flaherty of Inside Higher Ed for extending the invitation to participate in this critical conversation. He also thanked Sara Custer of Inside Higher Ed for powerfully capturing his insights and reflections in her recent piece:
🔗 “ROI Starts on Day One” → https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/columns/editors-note/2025/11/20/roi-starts-day-one

During the panel, Dr. Brownlee shared a compelling message:

“If we want to close equity gaps in this country, we must be honest about the total cost of being a college student—and then design systems that meet real students’ real lives.”

He went on to remind the audience that:

• Transparency builds trust.

• Trust builds belonging.

• Belonging drives completion.

• Completion fuels mobility.

This is the essential work ahead for higher education—and, as Dr. Brownlee noted, “It matters.”

Aurora TV Features "Miles With Mordecai" Campaign

Grateful to Aurora TV for shining a light on our “Miles with Mordecai” campaign and the heart behind it.

Their coverage beautifully captured the spirit of this journey—and the moment our team connected with lead donor Molly Link, whose extraordinary $71,000 gift was made in honor of one of CCA’s founding fathers, the late Bill Wiggins.

Both Bill and Molly were a part of a team of community leaders who helped shape the Aurora Educational Center into what we now know as the Community College of Aurora.

Watch the video here.

Dr. Mordecai Faetured by Inside Higher Ed

Mordecai Brownlee’s body hurts. Last week he trekked three days and 71 miles along Denver’s High Line Canal to raise $90,000 in emergency funds for Community College of Aurora students’ basic needs. “ROI starts with stability,” the president of CCA said this week in Atlanta at Inside Higher Ed’s Student Success US 2025.

Click here to read the full article.

Brand New Article From Dr. Mordecai!

The future of higher education is shifting — quickly.

Dr. Mordecai’s latest article in Community College Daily explores why America is entering the era of the Workforce Campus and what leaders must do to meet this moment of transformation.

👇 Read the full article

https://www.ccdaily.com/2025/11/from-work-colleges-to-workforce-campuses/

Let’s keep leading with purpose.

Dr. Mordecai Walk 71-Miles to Raise Money and Awareness for Student Emergency Funds

Dr. Mordecai Brownlee has officially completed the full 71-mile Miles with Mordecai journey—crossing the finish line just after 6 PM last night.

This extraordinary effort, powered by purpose and community, has already raised over $90,000 for the Community College of Aurora’s Emergency Student Fund. These dollars will directly support CCA students during the holiday season as they work to stay enrolled, overcome unexpected financial barriers, and continue their pursuit of economic mobility.

Throughout the journey, Dr. Brownlee was joined by staff, students, alumni, community partners, and supporters who walked miles alongside him, offered encouragement, donated, prayed, and shared uplifting messages. Their collective strength fueled every step.

In the final stretch, members of the CCA community showed up to walk the last two miles with him, bringing energy and heart that carried the journey home. This is what community looks like.

As Dr. Brownlee often says, may we never forget the power of humanity, care, and our responsibility to one another.

And there is still time to give and make a difference:
👉 CCAurora.edu/71-miles 🦊

Dr. Mordecai to Participate in Upcoming Webcast

Join us this Friday, November 7th, at 10 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. ET for a First Friday Webinar hosted by the National Consortium for College Men of Color (NCCMC).

Dr. Mordecai is honored to join Dr. Cynthia Olivo, President of Fullerton College, for a powerful conversation on leadership strategies to uplift and empower college men of color.

Together, they’ll explore innovative approaches to access, belonging, and success for today’s learners—and the systemic change needed to ensure their futures are bright.

🔗 Register here

Brand New Episode of Discovering Your Mission is Now Available

On this Election Day, I’m voting for leadership that transforms communities.

Today, I’m casting my vote for the kind of leadership that leads with humility, courage, and service — the kind embodied by President Tracy Hartzler, my latest guest on Discovering Your Mission.

In our conversation, President Hartzler and I explore how her life of public service — from working with Native Nations and state government to leading New Mexico’s largest community college — has shaped a vision of education grounded in empathy and action.

Her story is a reminder that the path to leadership is rarely linear. She didn’t begin in higher education. She built her foundation through service, law, and policy — all transferable experiences that today make her one of the most innovative community college leaders in America.

Some powerful takeaways from our discussion:

✅ Transferable Leadership Matters. The best leaders draw wisdom from across sectors — public, private, and civic — and bring those insights to strengthen education.
✅ Partnership Is the New Power. CNM is redefining collaboration by building an ecosystem of employers, educators, and policymakers to meet real workforce needs.
✅ Resilient Leadership Is Relational. From the pandemic to post-pandemic transformation, Hartzler shows that transparency, inclusion, and shared purpose sustain institutions through disruption.
✅ Mission Is Personal. Her personal mission? “Apply my skill and talent to improve the lives of individuals and better my community—with humility, grace, and humor.”

This episode is a timely reflection on how leadership can — and must — build opportunity, trust, and belonging in an age of change.

🎧 Watch or listen here → https://youtu.be/4OWyLfJ9M8A

Aurora, Colorado is Officially One of America’s Great Defense Communities!

We’re proud to celebrate Aurora’s recognition as one of America’s Great Defense Communities!

This honor, awarded by the Association of Defense Communities and USAA, highlights the incredible partnership between the Greater Buckley Region, Buckley Space Force Base, and the many organizations—like the Community College of Aurora—that help service members and their families thrive.

As part of this community, CCA proudly serves as a workforce and talent development partner, preparing military-connected learners for success in the classroom, the workplace, and beyond.

🎖️ We salute all who serve and celebrate this recognition of our collective impact.

Watch the video here.

Dr. Mordecai Participates in Denver Business Journal's Higher Education Roundtable

Dr. Mordecai was pleased to join leaders in Colorado's higher education sector for a roundtable covered by the Denver Business Journal and moderated by Colorado Business Roundtable (COBRT) 's Debbie Brown.

As they discussed the urgent need for transformation in higher ed, Dr. Mordecai emphasized that institutions must evolve beyond traditional models—working with employers, policymakers, and tech innovators to ensure credentials lead to real jobs and meaningful wage growth.

When colleges & universities become co-designers of workforce solutions rather than just credential-providers, students win, employers win, and Colorado's economy wins.

Read the full article here: https://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/2025/10/24/experts-colorado-higher-education-roundtable.html

Miles with Mordecai: Walking the High Line Canal for Student Success

This November, I’ll be walking all 71 miles of the High Line Canal—yes, all 71—in support of the Community College of Aurora’s Student Emergency Assistance Fund.

Every step I take represents the journey of our students—balancing classes, jobs, and family while striving for a better future. When unexpected hardships arise—food insecurity, housing struggles, medical emergencies—our Student Emergency Fund steps in to help them stay the course.

This year, I’m not just talking about commitment to our students. I’m walking it.

👟 Join me on the trail.
💙 Make a gift to support CCA students.
🎯 Every dollar is matched—thanks to a $71,000 gift from Molly Link in memory of Bill Wiggins.

Together, let’s raise $142,000 and go the distance for student success.
👉 Donation Link: https://www.coloradogives.org/story/eoh21f
👉 Walk Sign-Up Link: https://ccaurora.formstack.com/forms/miles_with_mordecai_signup

Education Design Lab welcomes innovative ‘giants’ to its board

Wally Boston and Mordecai Brownlee join the board to support the Lab’s mission to innovate more skills-based paths to economic mobility.

Oct. 15, 2025 – WASHINGTON, D.C. – Education Design Lab, a national nonprofit helping colleges and employers design education toward the future of work, announces two new members who have joined its board of directors:

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee, President of Community College of Aurora, Colo.

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee is president of the Community College of Aurora (CCA) in Colorado, which joined the Lab’s Community College Growth Engine in 2022. He previously worked at several public and private higher education institutions, including St. Philip’s College in Texas, the University of Charleston in West Virginia, Blinn College District in Texas, and Houston Baptist University. Brownlee publishes frequently, including in the Community College Daily (published by the American Association of Community Colleges), and he previously served as a columnist for EdSurge, where he wrote about partnering with the Lab to design five behavioral health micro-credential pathways. Brownlee has written over 50 articles on topics involving educational technology, workforce development, and the future of higher education.

Dr. Wallace E. Boston, co-founder, Green Street Impact Partners, and President Emeritus, American Public University System

Dr. Wally Boston has spent more than two decades guiding universities, colleges, and students toward success. In 2022, Boston co-founded Green Street Impact Partners, a private equity fund, investing in edtech startups that can positively impact learners. Boston was appointed President Emeritus of the American Public University System (APUS) after serving as President and CEO for more than 16 years. He is a former member of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), which advises the Department of Education’s Secretary on accreditation.

“This expansion of our board will add important leadership perspectives from current and former college presidents who are shaping the future of higher education to serve the needs of New Majority Learners,” said Kathleen deLaski, the Lab’s founder and board chair. “Mordecai leads some of the Lab’s most impactful micro-pathway work statewide in Colorado, navigating employer engagement, leveraging critical partnerships, and ensuring state regulatory alignment resulting in Community College of Aurora being the lead institution in the system’s five behavioral health pathways. Wally built American Public University System into the largest university serving military learners, and he now is backing startups that support new learning technologies. We are privileged to have these giants in the field bringing their wisdom to this exciting moment for the Lab.”

Dr. Mordecai Ian Brownlee: “It is a profound honor to join the board of directors of Education Design Lab. At a time when America must move with urgency to produce a viable, future-ready workforce, the Lab represents a proven solution — linking innovation, industry demand, and upward economic mobility. I am proud to serve alongside this incredible team, helping to ensure that learners, communities, and industries across our nation thrive.”

Dr. Wallace E. Boston: “I am pleased to join the board of Education Design Lab. As concerns continue about the costs and relevance of traditional college programs, I enthusiastically support the Lab’s focus on innovative solutions that integrate the needs of workers, employers, and communities as well as improve the economic outcomes for all.”

Boston and Brownlee expand the Lab’s distinguished board, whose members include:
Kathleen deLaski, Chair
Kris Clerkin, Vice Chair
Sofia Lopez Nunez, Treasurer
Rufus Glasper
Suzanne Gibbs Howard
Peter Janzow
Lou Pugliese
Yvette Vargas

Education Design Lab (the Lab) is a national nonprofit and intermediary with a mission to co-design an inclusive, skills-based learn+work system that facilitates upward economic mobility and closes opportunity gaps for the New Majority Learner-Earner. Since 2013, the Lab has worked on the ground with over 1,200 colleges + organizations, 1,000 employers, and thousands of learners, who need education programs and pathways that better serve their futures.

Dr. Mordecai is Now a Columnist for Community College Daily!

🚨 The next workforce crisis is already unfolding.

America is facing a growing gap between available jobs and the skilled workers needed to fill them. As the number of high school graduates declines and industries evolve faster than ever, community colleges stand at the center of the solution — reskilling adults, aligning pathways, and redefining what access to opportunity looks like.

In Dr. Mordecai’s latest column for Community College Daily, he explores why this challenge is accelerating and how institutions can lead with innovation, courage, and purpose.

Read “Bracing for Impact”
👉 https://www.ccdaily.com/2025/10/bracing-for-impact/

The Costs Students Don’t See Coming—and Why They Matter

Mordecai Ian Brownlee, President of the Community College of Aurora in Colorado, is walking 71 miles over three days next month to raise awareness of his own college's emergency fund—specifically, to get community members to match a $71,000 donation. The fund started at just $8,000 during the pandemic, Brownlee said, but the college's students frequently face unanticipated medical, utility, transportation, and other costs.

Read more here: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/student-success/academic-life/2025/10/07/students-struggle-surprise-costs-dont-know-about-help

Personal Reflections: Leadership Begins at Home

Yesterday, my son and I attended a Mental Health Summit led by the Colorado Men of Color Collaborative — not because I had to be there for work, but because I needed to be there as a father.

It’s important to me that he sees spaces where conversations about healing, growth, and self-awareness are not only accepted but expected. I want him to know that manhood isn’t measured by how much we carry — it’s defined by how well we care.

We talked about life, choices, and what it means to grow into the kind of man who leads with empathy, strength, and intentionality. Because while leadership is often discussed in the boardroom, the classroom, or the community… the truth is, it begins at home.

If we want to raise the next generation of strong, grounded, emotionally intelligent leaders — we must be willing to model it. To talk about mental health. To sit in uncomfortable conversations. To show our sons and daughters that real strength looks like love, honesty, and presence.

Yesterday wasn’t just another event. It was a reminder that the work of building better futures starts with us — one intentional moment, one courageous conversation at a time.

The pathways to opportunity in Aurora just became even stronger.

Yesterday, leaders from Aurora Public Schools, CU Denver, and the Community College of Aurora came together to advance educational access for our students. Through this new partnership, high-achieving APS students—including those enrolled in CCA’s concurrent enrollment programs—will now earn guaranteed admission to CU Denver.

This collaboration serves as a model for what happens when institutions come together around student success. Together, we’re ensuring that every learner can move seamlessly from high school to college and into a rewarding career—right here in our community.

At CCA, we believe that education drives economic

Brand New Episode of Discovering Your Mission is Now Available

New Episode Alert!

I had the honor of sitting down with Dr. Matt Daily, Assistant VP & Dean of Students at Idaho State University, for an inspiring conversation on first-generation student success.

We unpack the difference between belonging vs. mattering, explore how identity shapes the student journey, and discuss practical ways colleges can create spaces where students don’t just fit in—they know they matter.

This is a must-listen for higher ed leaders, practitioners, and anyone passionate about student success.

Tune in here: https://youtu.be/w-23JyMEpEs

Dr. Mordecai Joins the EdUp Experience Network

In a world of constant change, one question remains: What is your mission? On Discovering Your Mission with Dr. Mordecai, we bring together trailblazers, thought leaders, and everyday champions to uncover the stories, strategies, and mindsets that fuel purpose-driven lives. Each episode is designed to inspire, challenge, and equip you to live boldly, lead with integrity, and impact the world around you. 

Learn more here: https://www.edupexperience.com/p/discoveringyourmissionwithdrmordecai/

Aurora’s future runs through its community college

“If Aurora thrives in the next 20 years, it will be because the Community College of Aurora prepared its people — not just for jobs, but for leadership, citizenship, and a shared future.”

To read more, please visit: https://www.denvergazette.com/2025/10/03/auroras-future-runs-through-its-community-college-michael-hancock/

Community College of Aurora Receives Institutional Award for Entrepreneuring Excellence

Proud moment for the Community College of Aurora (CCA)!

At the Higher Education Innovation, LLC (HEI) Presidents’ Conference hosted by Florida Polytechnic University, CCA was honored with the 2025 Institutional Award for Entrepreneuring Excellence. This recognition underscores our commitment to innovation, student success, and building entrepreneurial pathways that change lives and communities.

The conference also gave us the opportunity to learn from the NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration Aircraft Operations Center, deepening our understanding of how precision, strategy, and innovation drive national impact.

At CCA, we believe in transforming possibilities into reality— together.

Introducing the 2025 Community College of Aurora Presidential Scholars! 🎉

📣 The Community College of Aurora proudly introduces the 2025 Presidential Scholars—ten extraordinary students who represent the very best of Aurora’s “world in a city.”

These scholars speak more than 12 languages, come from six countries, and share a common drive: to balance family, education, and leadership on their way to shaping Colorado’s future workforce.

Thanks to the generosity of our partners—Civitas Resources, Nelnet, and Amazon—each scholar receives a $3,000 scholarship, monthly leadership development, and access to professional mentors who are opening doors to new opportunities.

💡 From nursing and computer science to business, engineering, and communications, their journeys remind us that excellence knows no boundaries—and education is the great equalizer.

👏 Join us in celebrating the 2025 Presidential Scholars and the sponsors and mentors who make this transformative program possible.