Q: Would you like to talk about budget cuts, regarding instructor support and counselor support?
A: Yes, we still don’t have a budget from the state and that’s really what we are waiting for. We know we are going to have a cut as much or anywhere from $2 to $4 million. That’s a lot of money. However, all that could change because the governor comes out with proposal after proposal. The Democrats have a proposal, the Republicans have a proposal. Until they come together, we really don’t know. But we know we’re going to experience some cuts. Here’s my philosophy: Why are we here?
We are here to provide a quality education for students; that’s the core of why we’re here. Then you start going out and the further you are out from that the more cuts we are going to take. I really don’t want to look at cutting anything that’s important–any instructional programs. Now are we going to have to cut? Yes, but we have to be very careful about where we are spending our money. If we have some grant funds, we can certainly use those, but even state grants are going to be cut. So we need to look at our core functions which is to provide a quality education and go out, you know like a tree, with concentric circles [from there], so that you begin to look at what is truly necessary just like in your own lives. If you have to look at cutting your budget, you look at your needs- rent, gas for the car and make sure the car has insurance and so on. And then you start building out, so vacations, luxury retail for the holidays was off 34 percent, compared to last year because people are just saying, “I can’t but it.”
Q: What do you consider some of the luxuries of Fresno City College?
A: Not many. But you know sometimes, I ask people to look more at expenditures. If we normally provide a lot of food for meetings, then we can cut back to cookies and punch. You know, can we get a local supplier instead of buying things from an outside area so we can save on shipping. Wherever you can cut, anything that’s going to be saved, for every dollar that we save, we’re able to save a job.
Q: What about cuts in tuition allowance?
A: That’s a legislative decision. I know that there has been a proposal for that, but I don’t know where it’s going to go. You guys know that tuition in California is the lowest in country. The tuition at the school I left was $93 a credit, here it’s $20.
Q: Also about the BOGG Fee Waiver, is that going to be affected?
A: Again, I don’t know. There was one proposal I read to Cal-grants, but I don’t know. And we won’t know until the legislature takes action.
Q: you’ve stated that one of the core goals was to provide a quality education, so what other school goals do you have?
A: well there are a couple of things. One fun thing, we will celebrate our centennial in 2110. Fresno City is the oldest, the first City College in California. The Second in the country; we’re a hundred year old. Joliet Community College in Joliet, Illinois was the first. So we’re going to make a big deal of it. Now, with the budget cuts we’re really have to look at how we can raise money to do that. Because I want it to not only be a college celebration but a community. And not just for one day, I want it to be through out the year. How do we recognize the accomplishments of our students and our graduates, and our faculty? We have many many thousands of people who have come through Fresno City, what are they doing now? So I want to finds ways to recognize the contributions and the accomplishments; so that with the centennial we’re letting the community know we’ve been here a hundred years. Anywhere I go I meet people who either been to Fresno City or their parents came to Fresno City or their kids or their grand kids, so everywhere we have really made an impact on this community. And so that’s one thing.
Q: so were up fro accreditation when?
A: we are up for accreditation in 2011, October of 2011. It’s a two year process through the accrediting agency. The Western Association of School and Colleges, I believe; WAS. As I understand, and I wasn’t here either, the warning had to with governance. So several things that we have established, one of them is a Strategic Planning Council, we have a budget advisory committee. The Strategic Planning Council, the umbrella entity over all of the organizations that we offer at the college. People from various constituents within the college sit on it including me, [comprised of] faculty, administration and students that sit on this board and they met yesterday [1/14/09]. So the various recommendations that come from the various committees come to the SPC and that is part of our governance. So that is one of the major things that we have done. (Inaudible), and one of the requirements of accreditation is to show your budgeting process in relation to your strategic planning. So that’s what I’m working on.
