California Community Colleges - Chancellor's Update

Summer is here and before long we will be ready to begin a new academic year. In the next month or so I hope you all get an opportunity to relax and enjoy summer a bit. I took part in the Glendale College commencement activities, and last weekend was in South Lake Tahoe for their commencement. I must say that the crowds at Glendale and Tahoe are more subdued than those I encountered in the Los Angeles District. Either way, loud or quiet, graduation is a great time and it serves as evidence of our work and accomplishments.

I fully expect that the budget will arrive close to "on time" this year. I recently had a conversation with the Governor's staff at which concern was expressed over the System's ability to accommodate students that are unable to gain acceptance to a CSU campus this fall. I told them that we are still unable to determine exactly how many students might be turned away by CSU and arrive at our doors, but a fairly large number would not surprise me. I also indicated that IF the Governor provides the 3.65% growth as advocated by the Board of Governors that most districts should be able to add sections of advanced courses to accommodate the demand. I hope that (a) if the budget is on time; and (b) it contains the 3.65% growth, you will help me deliver on that promise by opening classes in advanced courses as local demand dictates.

My visits to districts have been going well and for me they are very enjoyable. The last visit was in the southern Central Valley. A reporter from the Chronicle of Higher Education tagged along, and Kate Clark and David Viar were along also. From my perspective these visits are valuable in that they "put a face with a name" and give me first-hand information about local issues and concerns. I really appreciate the efforts of CEO's in the region to travel to join me, and I appreciate the orchestration of meetings with faculty, staff and students. I intend to continue the practice of getting out to visit for several days each month as long as I do this job. In a few weeks we will embark on a trip around many districts in the northern part of the state.

Robert Turnage is currently working with the budget task force to frame a starting point budget to propose for discussion at the next meeting of the Board of Governors (July 12th). It is very important that we pay attention to this as the Board intends to finalize a BCP at their September meeting. Of course we will be asking for a continuance of growth, equalization and other "obvious" funding needs. What is especially important to me is that we include a reasonable amount for "forgotten" categories of great importance such as faculty/staff development, equipment replacement, and other budget categories critical to student success. It is also very important that we face the challenge posed by the great local investment in new buildings from Proposition 39 bonds. These buildings must be maintained for future generations, and our current method of concentrating on load factors to determine allocations just won't work. Many districts are adding square footage in preparation for higher student demand in the future, and it is important that we fully fund maintenance for every single new building regardless of capacity-load issues.

This list of budget concerns is certainly not exhaustive but is simply a request for all of us to pay attention, and build a strong case for quality in our system. I look forward to seeing you or talking with you soon. Have a great and happy and safe summer!