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SIGN THE PLEDGE! |
One Million More College Graduates
The Public Policy Institute of California projects that by 2025, the state will be one million baccalaureate degrees short of meeting the economic productivity demands of our economy. And that’s not even the whole story. Jobs that require more than a high school education but less than a four year degree—“middle skill” jobs—will represent 43% of all job openings between 2006 and 2016 according to a recent California Edge Campaign report. The 2020 Vision Report by the Commission on the Future of the Community College League of California is calling for an increase in certificate and associate degree completions by one million by 2020.
For every dollar California invests to get more students in and through college, it will receive a net return of three dollars. That means an additional one million graduates will generate $5.3 billion in return on investment to the state. California leaders have a critical opportunity this year to make history and move our state and college students forward in the right direction.
The Pledge
The One Million More College Graduates by 2025 Campaign (1MM) seeks to raise awareness about this impending college graduate and workforce shortage and calls on Governor Brown and the California Legislature to:
- Ensure California provides a spot in college for all eligible students;
- Support community colleges & universities with additional revenues;
- Preserve financial aid for low & moderate income Californians through Cal Grants and increasing student access to federal Pell Grants;
- Support higher education funding & policy priorities that hold colleges & universities accountable for increasing completion rates;
- Improve the coordination between our two-year colleges & four-year universities, especially with regards to early college preparation, assessment, & transfer.
More than 1,000 Californians across the state have joined the 1MM Campaign. See the list of some of the highly influential Californians who’ve signed the pledge below:
| Gisselle Acevedo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Para Los Ninos | Kindred Murillo, Vice Chancellor, Contra Costa Community College District |
| Roberta Achtenberg, Trustee, California State University System | Cynthia Murray, President/CEO, North Bay Leadership Council |
| Robert Agrella, Superintendent/President, Santa Rosa Junior College | Miles Nevin, Executive Director, California State Student Association |
| Christina Bivona-Tellez, Regional Vice President, Hospital Association of Southern California | John Nixon, President, Mt. San Antonio College |
| Marilyn Brock, President, Coastline Community College | Jack O’Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction |
| Seth Brysk, Executive Director, American Jewish Committee | Eloy Ortiz Oakley, Superintendent – President, Long Beach CCC District and Long Beach City College |
| Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor, City of West Sacramento | Judy Patrick, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Women’s Foundation of California |
| Herb Carter, Trustee, California State University System | Henry Perez, Acting Executive Director, InnerCity Struggle |
| Norma Cazares, Transfer Center Director, Southwestern College | Marco Petruzzi, President and Chief Operating Officer, Green Dot Public Schools |
| Maria Casillas, President, Families in Schools | George Pla, President and CEO, Cordoba Corporation |
| Carol Chandler, Owner, Chandler Farms | Anne Price, Program Director, California Tomorrow |
| Jesse Cheng, Student Regent, University of California | Frank Quevedo, Board Member, MALDEF |
| Maria Contreras-Sweet, Founding Chairwoman, PROMERICA Bank | Jessica Quintana, Executive Director, Centro CHA Inc. |
| Duane Dauner, President, California Hospital Association | Arun Ramanathan, Executive Director, Education Trust West |
| Alison De Lucca, Director, Southern California College Access Network | Ramona Ripston, Executive Director, ACLU of Southern California |
| James Doti, President, Chapman University | Charles Reed, Chancellor, California State University System |
| Todd Flora, Manager of Corporate Citizenship & Corporate Affairs, IBM | Constance Rice, Co-Director, The Advancement Project |
| Yolie Flores, Vice President, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education | Darline P. Robles, Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools |
| Jolene Francis, President/CEO, Chico Chamber of Commerce | Mark Rocha, President, Pasadena City College |
| Lee Fuller, District Student Trustee, Coast Community College District | Nancy L. Rohland-Heinrich, Vice Chancellor, National University System |
| Roberta Furger, Research and Communications Manager, PICO California | Bryce Ruiz, President and CEO, Ruiz Foods, Inc. |
| Katie Gagnon, Director of Public Policy, San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership | Frederick Ruiz, Chairman of the Board, Ruiz Food Products, Inc. and UC Regent |
| Monica Garcia, President, Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education | Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund |
| Carlos A. Garcia, Superintendent, San Francisco Unified School District | Sam Schauerman, Interim President, Fullerton College |
| Donald Gerth, President Emeritus, California State University Sacramento | Jack Scott, Chancellor, California Community Colleges System |
| Steve Gonsalves, Chairman of the Board, Chico Economic Planning Corporation | Alexis Shah, Executive Director, College Summit |
| Linda Griego, President and CEO, Griego Enterprises, Inc. | Dr. Hamid Shirvani, President, California State University, Stanislaus |
| Dianne Harrison, President, California State University, Monterey Bay | Dixon Slingerland, Executive Director, Youth Policy Institute |
| Gary Hart, Former Secretary of Education | Abdi Soltani, Executive Director, ACLU of Northern California |
| Bill Hauck, President, California Business Roundtable | Blair Taylor, Executive Director, Los Angeles Urban League |
| Michael Henson, California Director, National Academy Foundation | Gary Toebben, President and CEO, Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce |
| Antonia Hernandez, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Community Foundation | Van Ton-Quinlivan, Director, Workforce Strategy and Diversity, Pacific Gas and Electric Corporation |
| Robert Hertzberg, Co-Chair, California Forward | Kim Thomas-Barrios, Executive Director, USC Neighborhood Academic Initiatives |
| Dolores Huerta, Founder, Dolores Huerta Foundation | Helen Iris Torres, Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Hispanas Organized for Political Equality |
| Stewart Kwoh, President and Executive Director, Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC) | David Valladolid, President and CEO, Parent Institute for Quality Education |
| Jowel Laguerre, Superintendent/President, Solano Community College | Judith Valles, President, Los Angeles Mission College |
| Jeremy Lahoud, Executive Director, Californians for Justice | Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, NALEO |
| Gloria Lamas, Vice President of Associated Student Union, East Los Angeles College | Nora Vargas, Board Member, Parent Institute for Quality Education |
| Dr. Dawn Lindsay, Superintendent/President, Glendale Community College | Antonio Villaraigosa, Mayor, City of Los Angeles |
| Bob Linscheid, Trustee, California State University System | David Villarino Gonzalez, President, Farmworker Institute of Education and Leadership Development (FIELD) |
| Ruben Lizardo, Associate Director, PolicyLink | Richard Vladovic, Board of Education Vice President, Los Angeles Unified School District |
| Jo A.S. Loss, President, California State Parent Teacher Association (PTA) | Stephen Weber, President, San Diego State University |
| Domenika Lynch, Executive Director, USC Mexican American Alumni Association | Steve Weiner, Board Member, Campaign for College Opportunity |
| John Mack, President, Los Angeles Police Commission | Deacon John Wilson, III, Education & Enrichment Director, West Angeles Church |
| David (Mas) Masumoto, Author and Farmer | David Wolf, Board Member, Campaign for College Opportunity |
| Jamie Merisotis, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lumina Foundation for Education, Inc. | Mark Yudof, President, University of California System |
| Reid Milburn, President, Student Senate for California Community Colleges | Allan Zaremberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, California Chamber of Commerce |