A Path to a Better Life

By Karen Ann Schwarz

Access to Education

Far too often, ambitious, prospective students find it difficult to access the education system. With little effort, roadblocks can be converted into bridges. The public must always feel welcomed. Above all else, it must always be remembered that the community colleges belong to the public and exist to serve the public's needs.

Breaking down roadblocks can be as simple as making sure that course catalogs, web-sites, and admissions and financial aid offices are painless for people to navigate. Nobody should feel uneasy about the process of enrolling or discovering what our schools have to offer. Moreover, people need to know about our schools and, therefore, I am a staunch supporter of high school and community outreach programs.

Classes must be offered that serve the needs of our community. For those seeking to transfer to four-year institutions, classes that serve that end must be offered and available. As a major proponent of Caņada's University Center, it gives me great pleasure to know that during my tenure as a Trustee, Caņada College became the first public institution in San Mateo County to provide four-year college degree programs to its students. Students can receive bachelor degrees and even teaching credentials from schools like San Francisco State and Cal State Hayward without ever leaving Caņada!

Programs that will allow people to gain employment in the Bay Area job market must also exist and evolve. I am proud of helping to lead an effort to provide more courses in areas like biotechnology and working with displaced workers at places like United Airlines to establish programs that provide training in fields that allow those workers to succeed in our high-technology economy. We must always reassess the needs of our community and respond accordingly.

Providing programs is great, but people can only receive an education if they can make it into the classroom and afford to stay in school. I am a strong proponent of web-based learning and making sure we are not only "on the hill" by providing satellite classrooms throughout San Mateo County.

Promoting and expanding need-based financial aid opportunities and creatively utilizing technology to control costs must be prioritized. While it is true we cannot completely control the per unit cost of our classes, we can find savings in other areas. For example, by building and maintaining strong computer lab facilities through the use of bond proceeds, students can avoid having to pay large sums for personal computers and printers. Also, our college bookstores must not generate giant profit margins on textbook sales at the expense of our students. We can also lower costs by looking at alternative technologies that, at a fraction of the cost, can replace the need for costly textbooks while increasing the learning experience.

By focusing effort on accessibility, we can heighten the strength of our colleges and our community.