City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado recently attended SXSW EDU to discuss how the college system’s newest partnership with One Million Degrees is helping to set students up for future success.

“When @ChiCityColleges students are supported, they thrive,” Salgado wrote in a March 7 Twitter post. “Expanding our work with student support org @1MillionDegrees is central to our effort to achieve equitable student outcomes. OMD CEO Aneesh Sohoni and I shared our progress at a discussion led by @chronicle today.”

Salgado participated in a session at SXSW EDU, one of the largest education events, titled “How Diverse Students Access and Thrive in College” to shed light on the partnership initially announced in November 2022, according to City Colleges of Chicago. 

The partnership is aimed at guiding more students toward graduation and improved economic prospects. As part of the enhanced public-private collaboration, the majority of first-year degree-seeking students will be enrolled in the OMD program where they will have access to many benefits including financial aid and professional development opportunities.

During the session at SXSW EDU, Salgado and Sohoni highlighted the effectiveness of the OMD model in supporting City Colleges' predominantly black and Latinx student population. They also presented research-based evidence demonstrating the program's achievements, according to City Colleges of Chicago.

Isabel Amaya of the University of Michigan Medical School and Blanton Tolbert of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute were also on the panel.

SXSW EDU (South by Southwest E-D-U) is a yearly event that focuses on innovation and learning in the education sector. The event is best known for the SXSW EDU Conference & Festival, a four-day gathering that takes place in Austin, Texas. It offers attendees various opportunities such as workshops, sessions, mentorship, film screenings and networking, according to SXSW EDU.