Community Colleges welcome Obama pledge

The Orange County Register

07.15.09

By William Diepenbrock

Orange County community colleges applauded President Obama’s pledge Tuesday of a $12 billion infusion for job training and other programs even as they acknowledged the struggle they face in balancing budgets in a tight economy.
   “This landmark initiative will show Americans new ways to reinvent and prosper through the doors of our community colleges.We welcome the possibilities,” said Ned Doffoney, chancellor of the North Orange County Community College District.
   The money is intended to stimulate renovations at schools, expand curriculum and increase by 5 million the number of community college graduates in the country by 2020.
   Obama proposes to spend $9 billion in 10 years on grants to help community colleges form partnerships with businesses and train students for job opportunities. The grants also would help community colleges coordinate their programs with high schools and four-year universities, and encourage the almost 50 percent of students who fail to graduate from community colleges to complete their degrees.
   Obama is also calling for $2.5 billion to help finance bonds or school fundraising campaigns to pay for up to $10 billion in renovations and new construction at community colleges.The remaining $500 million would be used to develop online programs.
   Orange County’s community colleges enroll more than 200,000 students a semester – a figure that California Community Colleges System Chancellor Jack Scott says will rise as the economy worsens and students are shunted from CSU and UC systems, and others return to school for job retraining.
   The local schools already offer a number of programs that fit the president’s focus, from innovative online programs to extensive career technical programs.
   For example, the North Orange County district has programs emphasizing workforce development and health care first-responder training; the Coast district is known for its online programs; and South Orange County has expanded its career tech programs.
   Scott said he will push the system to pursue the federal grants.
   Register wire services
   contributed to this report.