The Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates (ICAS) was established by faculty in 1980 as a voluntary organization consisting of representatives of the Academic Senates of the three segments of public higher education in California. Each of the senates appoints five or six senate leaders as representatives to ICAS. ICAS deals with a variety of issues of mutual concern such as student preparation for postsecondary education, the California Master Plan for Higher Education, access, transfer, articulation, general education, and educational quality and standards. The recommendations of ICAS are made to the Academic Senates of each of the three segments. ICAS advises not only the senates of public higher education but also education officials and policymakers in California. It does not directly implement higher education policy.
Over the past four decades, ICAS has collaborated on various projects supporting students’ success and transfer, such as the development and implementation of the following projects:
- Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC)
- English and mathematics standards for high school graduates
- English as a Second Language (ESL) in Public Higher Education Report
- Recommendations for a new Cal-GETC pathway in response to AB 982 (Berman, 2021)
- Work on the California Open Source Digital Library (Cool4Ed) and MERLOT
The work of ICAS changes lives for students to succeed in their career aspirations, gain pride in their identity, and foster agency in future community leaders.