El Camino responds to budget cuts with innovative programs
El Camino College offers a one-year, welding certification program.
by Tom Fallo
This year, as El Camino College celebrates 65 years serving the South Bay, state budget cuts are impacting education at every level. But in spite of budget cuts, El Camino College continues to be a recognized leader in higher education in the South Bay and throughout the state.
In a recent South Bay survey, 99 percent of those interviewed stated they had heard of El Camino College. Nearly everyone in the South Bay has a taken a class or attended an event or performance at El Camino College.
In these challenging economic times, an increasing number of job applicants are realizing that higher education opens doors. El Camino College student Jessica Gallegos discovered this early in her job search.
“I interviewed with an aerospace company as an apprentice, but quickly learned that without training, I would not be someone they would be interested in hiring,” said Gallegos, a student in the Career Advancement Academy at ECC. “The interviewing panel said I needed to go to El Camino College.
Budget cuts are forcing many California community colleges to enact layoffs, salary cuts and furlough days. To date, El Camino College has not had to implement any of these measures. Unfortunately, due to the continual State budget reductions, El Camino College was forced to reduce the number of course sections offered by 20 percent between 2009 and 2011. This means it is more difficult for students to get the classes. This difficulty is impacting all California community colleges, as well as the UC and CSU systems.
In an effort to better serve our South Bay community, beginning in summer 2012, El Camino College will offer early registration for all in-district high school graduates. Any high school senior who lives in the South Bay will be able to register for classes before registration opens up to new students.
With continuous budget cuts from the State, it is clear that colleges and universities must turn to other sources of revenue. This past fall, El Camino College received approximately $8.6 million in grant funding for programs to help students reach their academic goals.
One program that has become a model for science education is the El Camino College STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Initiative. Through our partnerships with aerospace, utilities and refineries, we are able to tailor programs to meet the changing skill requirements of those industries. The cooperation between El Camino College and our business and corporate partners has helped with curriculum development. In addition, the highly successful Math, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA) program at El Camino College supports STEM majors and regularly helps students transfer to MIT, UCLA, Cal Poly Pomona, UC Berkeley and UC Irvine.
Another ECC support program is the new Graduation Initiative. A $3.24 million Title V (Hispanic Serving Institutions) grant supported the launch of this project.
According to a report by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy, 70 percent of students seeking degrees at California’s community colleges did not attain them, nor did they transfer to four-year universities within six years. El Camino College plans to improve these numbers by strengthening faculty teaching in pre-collegiate reading, writing, math, and general education courses.
An AA degree can be the gateway to a career or a bachelor’s degree. Associate degree recipients attain higher earnings ($8,000 more per year than a person with only a high school diploma); and the unemployment rate of associate degree earners is 30 percent lower than that of high school graduates.
El Camino’s annual Space Science Day on April 21, will offer science workshops for students in grades five through 12. NASA Astronaut and El Camino College alumnus Michael Fincke will be the guest speaker.
Last spring, more than 325 El Camino College students were awarded more than $350,000 in scholarships, in amounts ranging from $500 to $5,000 per student. This spring’s Scholarship Awards Ceremony will be held May 10. This event is a great way to recognize donors and supporters of El Camino College who make these scholarships possible.
Tom Fallo is the Superintendent/President of El Camino College.