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ALSO
IN THIS ISSUE Hat Trick Choreographing a Romance Evolution of a Biology Professor Sweet Rewards Academic Stepping Stone Chancellor's Column Development News Factoids Newsmakers Accomplishments by faculty and staff… |
Chancellor's Column For
decades, California has been one of the great global beacons of opportunity.
It is a destination, a place where people from around the world can come
to break into Hollywood, to push out the frontiers of technology, to make
hay while the sun shines. But these days, the Golden State’s prospects
seem to be getting dimmer and dimmer.” That
is how a recent BusinessWeek magazine cover story portrayed our state’s
latest challenges of, as the article states, “being battered by a
tech crash and energy crisis...growth imperiled by failing schools [and]
soaring costs.…” While
there will always be doomsayers, no matter the fortune or misfortune in
which we find ourselves, I
believe the prospects of our state, our local community, and our community
colleges will depend mostly on our ability to see the challenges we face
as opportunities. In
the San Diego Community College District we face great challenges, but
this is also a particularly opportune time to face our current challenges
with sharp focus and tremendous resolve. We recently completed labor agreements
with all bargaining and meet-and-confer groups and can now move forward
fully focused on improving programs and services to students. Among
the challenges we are confronting:
Although
the energy problems have lowered our expectations of resolving some of
the funding issues this year, we have made significant progress locally
and in Sacramento to gain support for fair funding. Editorials and news
articles have repeatedly appeared in the local media in support of improving
funding for our colleges and Continuing Education Centers. I have spent
many days this spring in Sacramento testifying before committees and meeting
with staff to gain support for our programs. Three
weeks before the State Assembly Education Committee heard Assembly Bill
253, which would substantially improve funding for our Continuing Education
Centers, I hosted a tour of our new Mid-City Center for the committee
chair, Virginia Strom-Martin, whose Assembly district is far from San
Diego, along the Oregon border. At the hearing, Strom-Martin praised our
district’s noncredit program and strongly supported the bill, and
many of the committee members even signed on as co-authors, including
our Assembly Member Juan Vargas. Because of the energy crisis, we don’t
know the fate of this or other bills favorable to community colleges,
but we are setting the stage and making a strong case for future support. As
I meet with the presidents, faculty and staff throughout the district,
I have been very pleased to see that many people are facing these challenges
with great determination to ensure that we provide the best possible programs
and services for students. by Augustine P. Gallego, Chancellor |
We cannot fully seize opportunities without great effort, involvement and the commitment by each and every one of us to reach our goals. |