November 2012 Message from the President
I finally got on the road for a few days to attend the annual Community College League of California (CCLC)
annual conference in LA last week. And (dare I say it?) it was inspiring---even for an old cynic such as myself
who has too often seen conferences as less about information and more about self-promotion. This was
different.
It was good to meet so many people devoted to the community college mission, to learn what's happening
around the State, and to see halls full of people who represent California's rich diversity.
New State Chancellor Bryce Harris and League Director, the intrepid Scott Lay, each made some compelling
points that I'll try to summarize below. With the passage of Prop 30 and the steady, if slow, State economic
recover, the Legislative Analysts office (LAO) is predicting "growth" for public systems from kindergarten
through grade 14 these next years. Good news, for sure!
But are we really talking "growth"?
Put into context, a better term would be "partial restoration"!
Some facts:
1. There are about 2.4 million community college students in California. Prop 30 will allow the statewide
Community College system to add about 20,000 students (great!)
2. But over the last decade we have TURNED AWAY 1/2 MILLION STUDENTS, while the average class size has
increased by 17%---largely due to the compassion and commitment of faculty and staff who have been willing
to educate students for whom we are not funded.
3. During this period, the State has undergone a great demographic shift. In 1980, 60% of California
Community College students were white; in 2008, 68% were students of color. So at the same time that the
system has been forced by chronic underfunding to "ration" education---we are failing to serve many students
who have been historically the most under-served.
3. On a world scale, we have declined as a country over the last decades from 3rd in the world in college
graduates to 10th.
Our collective challenge---across the system--- is to reverse these trends.
Finally, State Chancellor Harris also allowed in his wry way (he grew up in Oklahoma and sounds a bit like Will
Rogers), that he is a little tired of hearing how "we ought to be more like a business". General Electric converts
lumps of steel into either toasters or freezers, but we've been "converting" living, aspiring human beings with
child-care issues, work schedules, healthcare needs, etc. into graduates, skilled workers, teachers, and
entrepreneurs for over 50 years---too often in a resource-starved environment. Given the new Chancellor's
record of accomplishment over decades in the Los Rios District, and his decision to come out of a brief
retirement to lead the system, I think we are lucky to have him.
Last but not least: kudos to Matt Kritscher and ValJean Dale for an excellent and interactive presentation on the
SHIFT program and job-focused service programs in general.
Hope you had a GREAT THANKSGIVING!
Warmly,
Susan