Ledger-Dispatch

By Helen Bonner=20

From left, county supervisors Richard = Forster and=20 John Plasse join college foundation members Renee Chapman and = Richard=20 Vinson, and Cosumnes River College Dean Stephen McGloughlin on a = tour of=20 CRC's main Sacramento campus last week.

Photo by: Helen = Bonner
After=20 California's budget deficit pushed the governor to initiate a cut that = will=20 affect colleges and universities statewide, Dr. Francisco Rodriguez, = president=20 of Cosumnes River College, assured the Amador Community College = Foundation last=20 week that its long-term goal of a campus in Amador County wasn't being=20 surrendered.

"Our purpose is to start a college collectively in = Amador=20 County, starting small but building together," he told a gathering of = foundation=20 members and county officials. "We are committed and we will deliver, no = matter=20 what. That's the kind of promise we make to you."

This was good = news to=20 Richard Vinson, who, along with Pat Blacklock and others, worked to = found the=20 growing foundation that brought satellite classes to Amador County, only = to see=20 enrollment fall from 500 students to less than 100 when budget cuts hit = several=20 years ago. Another ACCF member, county Supervisor Richard Forster, who = had just=20 sat through the litany of cuts coming to county budgets, breathed a sigh = of=20 relief as Rodriguez repeated his pledge to proceed with the fledgling = college=20 program at Amador County's Learning Center.

When the Ledger = Dispatch=20 asked how CRC could continue to support the six classes presently = offered, even=20 though it could be years before the enrollment is high enough to pay for = them,=20 Rodriguez replied, "We have kept our oar in the water. We have not = teetered on=20 our commitment. We saw this (the state budget crisis) coming and we were = prepared. Now is not the time to draw back, but the time to invest in = the=20 future."

Steve Eppler, retired president of American River = College,=20 predicts that budgets will loosen up in the next two years. "Be patient. = Do your=20 planning now, while you have the time," he advised.

While touring = CRC's=20 122-acre main campus in Sacramento last week, Stephen McGloughlin, dean = of=20 Learning Resources, pointed out that since l996, that campus has grown = 70=20 percent. Other ACCF members, including Paul Molinelli Jr. and Renee = Chapman,=20 brainstormed ways Amador County could lay out the plans for future = growth until=20 such time as the state budget crisis lifts.

"Getting the = enrollment up is=20 first priority," McGloughlin said. "When classes don't fill, CRC can't = offer=20 them again."

Plans were generated to publicize the classes = offered, as=20 well as determine from the general population what classes are most = wanted and=20 get that information to CRC. Fundraisers were suggested to pay for = additional=20 fliers, brochures for school counselors, or taking high school seniors = on a tour=20 of the CRC campus. Since the median age at CRC is 28, working people = must also=20 be reached, stakeholders agreed. Getting retired professors who live = locally to=20 apply for adjunct faculty positions with CRC might also help raise=20 interest.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people in 2007 = with some=20 college or higher earned between $32,793 and $61,014, while high school=20 graduates earned $26,712 and below.

In addition, cities with = colleges=20 attract businesses looking for educated employees, say foundation=20 members.

"It's just good business to support a college," = McGloughlin said=20 at a recent board of supervisors meeting.

"Businesses looking at = Amador=20 County =85 it's one of the first questions they ask," Chapman added at = that Dec. 9=20 meeting. "And until now, we've had to say no."

"We believe in the = vision," Rodriguez said last week. "But we need your collaboration. It's = a=20 symbiotic relationship."

Winter college classes at the Amador = Learning=20 Center in Sutter Creek begin Jan. 17. Scheduled are: Early Childhood = Education,=20 Economics, Emergency Medical Technology, Creative Writing, Fire = Technology, and=20 Photography. High school students interested in Advanced Education can = apply at=20 the school's counseling office or online. Upcountry residents can take = online=20 classes if they have cable TV. To register or get more information, = visit=20 www.crc.losrios.edu/.

Helen Bonner is a member of the Amador = Community=20 College Foundation.

Helen Bonner
Ledger Dispatch Contributor=20