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College Opportunity NewsVolume 4, Issue 10, October 9, 2009In this issue:
The Campaign for College Opportunity is proud to welcome Thomas Saenz to our board of directors.
Bill Hauck, President of the California Business Roundtable and chair of The Campaign's board, said Saenz is an excellent addition to the organization.
“The board of directors of the Campaign is delighted that Tom will be joining us,” Hauck said. “MALDEF is one of the most prominent civil rights organizations for Latinos, they played a crucial role in the creation of The Campaign, and we are pleased that they will continue to have a presence on our board. Tom’s expertise, his passion, and his experience in pursuing opportunity for those who have been denied it will serve us well. In addition, his commitment to bold ideas and his embrace of needed reform will prove invaluable as we work to ensure college opportunity and student success in California.”
'When MALDEF agreed to co-found the Campaign in 2003, Saenz was a key leader at MALDEF," Michele Siqueiros, Executive Director of The Campaign said. “He remains committed to the critical work of college access and student success to ensure a strong future for California and its workforce, and he is looking forward to joining us in moving our agenda forward,” she said.
For the past four years, Saenz has served as Counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and as a member of the Mayor's four-person executive team. Saenz helped to lead the Mayor's legislative effort to change the governance of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) in order to secure a quality education for all students in Los Angeles and had served as the Mayor's lead liaison on labor negotiations as the city worked to address its serious financial crisis.
Prior to his service with the city, Saenz had served at MALDEF for 12 years. During that time, he successfully challenged California’s unconstitutional Proposition 187 and led numerous civil rights cases in the areas of immigrants’ rights, education, employment, and voting rights. He achieved several victories against ordinances unlawfully restricting the rights of day laborers, served as lead counsel in the 2001 challenge to California’s congressional redistricting, and initiated the employment discrimination lawsuit resulting in a $50 million settlement with Abercrombie and Fitch. Saenz was also the lead drafter of the Amicus brief on behalf of Latino organizations supporting affirmative action in the Supreme Court case, Grutter v. Bollinger.
Before joining MALDEF early in his legal career, Saenz clerked at both the federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Born and raised in Southern California, he graduated summa cum laude from Yale University and received his law degree from Yale Law School. Saenz then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Harry L. Hupp of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and to the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. For eight years, Saenz taught Civil Rights Litigation as an adjunct lecturer at the USC Law School. He currently serves on the Los Angeles County Board of Education and previously served on the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations.
Forty leaders from across the state gathered on September 15 in San Francisco to discuss the critical role that Greg Darnieder, Special Assistant for College Access at the U.S. Department of Education, led the dialogue with an overview of the efforts to increase college-going and improve completion through the American Graduation Initiative and College Access and Completion Innovation Funds. Both are initiatives to support the effectiveness and impact of community colleges by raising graduation rates, increasing educational opportunities, and expanding community college innovation in order to help rebuild the capacity and competitiveness of Dennis Jones, President of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS,) shared that the U.S. will need 150,528 more college graduates (on top of the previous year, each year until 2020) to meet President Obama’s goal and California would need to produce an additional 16,261 of those degrees (on top of the previous year, each year until 2020) in order to do our fair share. Jones and others shared that In his report "Utilizing College Completion and Innovation Funds to Improve Postsecondary Attainment in California," Jones offers some ideas on how the federal funds should be developed. These include:
Jones also provided suggestions on how California can make itself more competitive to access these federal dollars. These include:
Jones also shared that California would need to develop currently missing infrastructure including longitudinal student data system and establishing and building consensus around the state's college completion goals. “Our goal is to get conversations like these started,” Darnieder said. “And our hope is that each state will set a long-term strategy that ensures greater college access, student persistency and success, especially for underrepresented students.”
A significant step in the right direction occurred on September 17 when H.R. 3221, legislation to adopt the College Access and Completion Fund, cleared the U.S. House of Representatives. Last week, Campaign Executive Director Michele Siqueiros met with the staff of Congressman George Miller (bill sponsor of H.R. 3221) in Washington D.C. to learn more about the fund and share ideas about how California can access and make the best use of these federal dollars to support our higher education systems and ensure that more Californians can go to college and graduate. She also met with the Washington D.C.-based legislative staff of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss the fund. Siqueiros believes that the national momentum could fuel important state-level innovation and support that would lead to attention needed in identifying a specific plan for increasing college access while supporting dramatic gains in student completion. Photos:
The need to build a strong network to advocate for higher education issues as well as inform colleagues regarding the shortage of science and technology workers was on the minds of Silicon Valley leaders on Friday, September 4, as they attended the Regional Briefing Series co-sponsored by the Campaign for College Opportunity and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group. The series is a set of discussions that will take place throughout California this year focusing on the need to expand the preparation of college educated workers in these critical workforce fields that drive our economy. The group composed of executives, legislative field representatives and college personnel gathered at Synopsis Corp. in Sunnyvale, Calif., to discuss the findings of two critical reports that project the imminent crisis California will face if it fails to produce the college graduates necessary in a knowledge-based economy. “We really are in peril right now,” Hans Johnson, Associate Director and Senior Fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, said. “This recession will end, and we will have revenues again. We need to prepare.” Johnson’s report, “Closing the Gap: Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates” projects that California will fall short by 1 million college graduates less than it needs in 2025. Only 35 percent of working-age adults will have a college degree in an economy that would require 41 percent of workers to have a college degree. Within that shortage will be workers in the fields of science, technology, education, and math (STEM) fields. During the next decade, employment in STEM-related occupations will grow faster than in non-STEM occupations, according to Nancy Shulock, Director of the Sacramento State Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy (IHELP), who also participated in the event. The Campaign's report “Technical Difficulties: Meeting California’s Workforce Needs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Fields,” co-authored by Shulock, found that between 2006 and 2016, there will be on average approximately 46,100 job openings in STEM occupations that require a post-secondary education each year. While the number of STEM jobs will grow 20 percent during this period, the number of non-STEM jobs will increase by only 14 percent. The report calls for California and our higher education system to increase the number of college graduates including STEM graduates. Silicon Valley in particular is at a place where it needs to change the tide if it wants to maintain its global edge, the group agreed. It’s made strides, but needs to be stronger in the higher education arena. Throughout the hour-long discussion and presentation the attendees nodded their heads in agreement and familiarity of the deficit in talent that is looming ahead and what it means for them. Steve Beitler, Manager of Silicon Valley Government and Public Affairs for Agilent Technologies, said his company isn’t experiencing a shortfall in workers, “but then again, we aren’t hiring.” He said the presentation makes a strong case for addressing the looming shortage in skilled workers and he is interested in helping to fix the problem. "Beyond all the data and the trends, what we're talking about in human terms is the economic future that our grandchildren will have. Silicon Valley's preeminence doesn't come with a guarantee and many companies, including Algient, are working on the long-term future of the region," he said. The old days of fixing worker shortages by “migrating our way out of them” is not an option anymore, according to Among the policy suggestions Shulock offered was to increase STEM graduates is the development of a statewide public agenda for higher education focused on setting goals to increase the number of college-educated Californians and prioritizing the workforce needs in high-demand fields like STEM and health care. Johnson also recommended that state policymakers play a vital role to increase college-going, transfer, and graduation rates. Others agreed that there hasn’t been a strong political will to champion higher education in these economic times, but Beitler said Silicon Valley can begin forming partnerships with educators and schools that can be effective to address the skilled-worker shortage that is coming. “Collaboration between companies and schools can benefit not just individual firms but the whole ‘ecosystem’ of companies, industries, and markets in our region,” Beitler said. Photos:(Top left)Dennis Cima, of the Silicon Valley Leadership Institute, and Jessie Ryan, associate director of the Campaign for College Opportunity, welcome guests to the Regional Briefing Series held September 4 at Synopsis Corp. (Top right) Nancy Shulock, Director of Sacramento State Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy (IHELP), during her presentation on the looming shortage of workers educated in science, technology, engineering, science and math (STEM) fields. (Above right) Josie Sette, director of California Applied Biotechnology Center at Ohlone College, during the discussion.
The Campaign for College Opportunity is pleased to be kicking off the fifth year of its Save Me a Spot in College student scholarship contest on Monday, October 12. The contest is sponsored by The Campaign with funding from the College Access Foundation and in partnership with the California Department of Education. The contest invites all California students in sixth through 12th grade to submit a written word, poster or television ad answering the question, “Why should California leaders save you and your peers a spot in college?” Scholarships ranging from $500 to $2,500 will be awarded to close to 300 students from across the state. The deadline to submit entries will be March 15, 2010. “During the past four years, over 40,000 students have made their voices heard by participating in Save Me a Spot in College,” said Elizabeth Robles, Program Associate, who oversees the contest. "Students who participate in the contest learn more about college, help promote college going to their friends, and make sure our state leaders hear about the importance of college access and success.” To learn more about Save Me a Spot in College or if you would like to become a contest partner and request organizing materials, please visit “We invite your classroom, school, or community organization to join us as a partner in creating a college-going culture and sharing the contest with your students,” Robles says. “We need to encourage every student in California from sixth grade to 12th grade to enter because youth voices are important and need to be heard. ‘Save Me a Spot’ is the perfect way to make that happen.” Barnsdall Art Park Provides Beautiful Setting for SoCal Save Me a Spot in College Reception About 250 students, family members, and guests turned out on a gorgeous late-summer day in Los Angeles, when the Campaign for College Opportunity hosted a reception for Southern California winners of the 2009 Save Me a Spot in College scholarship contest. Barnsdall Art Park in Hollywood was the location for the August 11 event, and it provided a spectacular setting as The Campaign honored its student winners. “Isn’t this a beautiful spot?” Campaign Executive Director Michele Siqueiros asked the audience. “Los Angeles is a great city, and here before us is the Hollywood sign and the Griffith Observatory. They’re symbols of the importance of science, technology and entertainment -- things made possible through education.” The fourth year of the contest was the most successful yet, with more than $150,000 in scholarships awarded to over 300 middle and high school students from throughout the state. In addition to the student winners, The Campaign also honored Senator Alex Padilla, the California State University African American Initiative, and the Regional Economic Association Leaders of California (R.E.A.L Coalition) as Champions for College Opportunity. The Los Angeles and Long Beach Unified School Districts were celebrated for their early participation and launch of the Early Commitment to College program.
“This last state budget process was horrific,” he said. “I didn’t go to Sacramento to cut education. If we’re going to keep the Golden State golden, we need to invest in education.” Furutani also assisted Siqueiros in presenting the various awards. In particular, he praised Long Beach for having creating “a true partnership not of words, but of deeds.” One of the prevailing themes throughout the ceremony was the ability of a college education to enrich both students’ lives and the state’s economy. In accepting the award for the R.E.A.L Coalition, David Rattray from the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce made a promise to students: “Get a good college education and our commitment to you is that when you graduate you’ll have a good job that you love.” Student scholarship winners were presented with their certificates to close out the ceremony. The always-delightful Herb Carter, a member of the Board of Trustees for both the California State University and The Campaign, helped present the awards and posed for photos with recipients. “I go to a lot of meetings all year,” Carter said “and none of them are as enjoyable or as exciting as this one.” Photos:(Photostrip) Herb Carter, CSU trustee and Campaign board member; Reception attendees; The Campaign's Executive Director Michele Siqueiros and Mateo Tate-Contreras, a scholarship winner in the poster category; and David Rattray from the R.E.A.L. Coalition. (Top left) Assemblymember Warren Furutani delivers the keynote address. (Above) Students hold commemorative check signifying the $150,000 The Campaign awarded to California students.
Two recent reports have focused upon transfer and capacity issues at community colleges in California. The first report, produced by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy (IHELP) at California State The study finds that while a large number of university graduates are community college transfers, data on transfer rates show that only a small percentage of students who begin in community colleges successfully transfer. It also found that when students do transfer, the process is often inefficient or incomplete. Some students transfer with many units that don’t count toward the specific requirements for a bachelor’s degree. Others transfer without completing a transfer curriculum, reducing the potential cost-efficiency benefits of completing lower division requirements in the lower-cost community college system. Finally, many students transfer to a four-year university without earning an associate degree, and those who do not graduate are left without any degree. Specific recommendations in the report include:
The second report was issued by the California Postsecondary Education Commission—which advises Governor Schwarzenegger on issues related to higher education—and finds that California’s community colleges will soon be unable to accommodate all the students who wish to enroll. The report was issued prior to an announcement from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s office that enrollment during the 2008-09 academic year rose by nearly 5 percent to 2.9 million students, and that the system had 135,000 more students than the previous year. The increase coupled with cuts to the system’s budget had state community college leaders worried that they would need to turn away as many as 250,000 students during the current academic year. According to the report, entitled “Ready or Not, Here They Come,” the state’s 110 community colleges will need to increase their capacity over the next decade in order not to turn away the 222,345 additional students who will seek to enroll. It estimates that the number of students during the next decade will increase by 12.3 percent. The report follows a recent announcement that community college enrollment had surged 4.9 percent representing 135,000 students during academic year 2008-2009. Fueling the increase is the current recession, which is sending many unemployed and underemployed workers to community colleges to train for new skills and careers. The report found that a full 75 percent of community college districts are facing capacity pressures, in that they are serving more full-time equivalent students (FTES) than recommended by state classroom utilization standards. The current capacity deficit on a statewide basis is 186,000 FTES, which the report projects could eventually grow to 350,000 FTES. Recommendations for addressing the need for additional capacity included utilizing a combination of new capital projects, improved efficiencies, shared facility use, enhanced distributed learning arrangements, and expanded evening and weekend course offerings. According to John Perez, chair of the commission, the projections cited in the report are conservative — the problem could actually be worse. He said that the commission used both a baseline projection based solely on population growth and a higher mid-range projection that included recent trends in enrollment patterns. He and other commission members agreed that it was very likely that the mid-range projection would be a more likely scenario.
In Brief Phone Briefing to Explore New Statewide Higher Education Survey The Campaign for College Opportunity will be joining with the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) for a telephone briefing to discuss a new PPIC statewide survey entitled "Californians and Higher Education," to be released this November. The briefing will explore the results of the survey, which is the third in a series of surveys of state residents on higher education. The surveys seek to inform state policymakers, encourage discussion, and raise public awareness about issues affecting higher education. PPIC President and CEO Mark Baldassare and Research Associate Jennifer Paluch will join The Campaign's Executive Director Michele Siqueiros for the briefing. Please RSVP to Denise Lassalle at (213) 817-6034 or denise@collegecampaign.org. When: Wednesday, November 18, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Who: Michele Siqueiros, Executive Director, The Campaign for College Opportunity Mark Baldassare, President and CEO, Public Policy Institute of California Jennifer Paluch, Research Associate, Public Policy Institute of California SoCal Regional Briefing Set for Oct. 30; Examines Need for Graduates in Technical Fields
The Public Policy Institute of California's "Closing the Gap: Meeting California’s Need for College Graduates" projects that California will fall short by 1 million college graduates less than it needs in 2025 only 35 percent of working-age adults will have a college degree in an economy that would require 41 percent of workers to have a college degree. Within that shortage will be workers in the fields of science, technology, education and math (STEM) fields as The Campaign's report "Technical Difficulties: Meeting California's Workforce Needs in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Fields" points out. More information about the briefing will be forthcoming. To RSVP please contact Christine Jerian at christine@collegecampaign.org.
California Programs Honored for their Efforts in Serving Latino Students Programs from three California universities were selected as this year’s "Examples of Excelencia" by Excelencia in Education, a nonprofit organization that promotes policies and practices that support higher educational achievement for Latino students. Examples of Excelencia is a national initiative that identifies and recognizes programs that are proven to accelerate Latino student success at the associate, baccalaureate and graduate levels. "We are proud that Excelencia recognized some of the incredible work that is occurring in our state and in spite of the serious budget crisis hitting our public institutions, we are truly proud that all three winners were from California," Michele Siqueiros, The Campaign's Executive Director, said. Winning programs receive $5,000 and are profiled in a publication released by Excelencia in Education. The winners, who were announced on September 30, 2009, at the organization’s fourth annual Celebracion de Excelencia, which included a visit by Dr. Jill Biden, a community college professor and the wife of Vice President Joe Biden, and was held at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. The winners are:
"Colleges have a responsibility to help Latino students succeed," said Sarita Brown, president of Excelencia in Education, "The 2009 Examples of Excelencia are proven programs that we hope other colleges and universities around the country will be looking to as models to adapt and replicate on their own campuses." For more information, visit http://www.edexcelencia.org/. The Project on Student Debt Released a New Report on 'Community College Access to Student Loans' "Getting with the Program: Community College Students Need Access to Federal Loans." It finds that nearly one in 10 community college students in the U.S. has no access to federal loans because their school chooses not to participate in the federal loan programs. While many community college students can and should avoid borrowing, those who need to borrow should have access to the safest, most affordable option: federal student loans. Read the press release with a quote from Under Secretary of Education Martha Kanter >> For more information on The Project for Student Debt, visit http://projectonstudentdebt.org/.
Early Commitment to College Implementation Update The Campaign for College Opportunity is happy to report that the Early Commitment to College program continues to be implemented in a number of school districts across the state. Implementation of the program is being coordinated by the Intelligential Coordinating Council (ICC) of the Education Roundtable. The "Save Me a Spot in College" pledge, a key component of the program, can be accessed online at http://www.californiacolleges.edu/tools/pledge.asp.
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Saenz was recently named President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF). MALDEF is one of the organizations that founded The Campaign for College Opportunity in 2003.
education. 
The convening concluded with a discussion about the next steps that must be taken to support 
Johnson and Shulock, because California is competing in a global economic market.
the contest Web site at 
“I wouldn’t have missed this day,” he said, noting that his son was scheduled to receive his Master’s degree that afternoon in Long Beach. “We’re here today to plant that seed, that growing seed that will show you all that you can go to college.”
University at Sacramento and entitled “
The sudden and unexpected death last month of Napa Valley College (NVC) President Chris McCarthy was a blow to the board and staff of The Campaign for College Opportunity, who had worked with Chris on a number of initiatives throughout the years. Chris was a real champion of his college and a dynamic advocate for education reform of community colleges across the state. He had most recently worked with us on a new initiative The Campaign is supporting, Accelerated Learning College (ALC) and had hoped that NVC would be one of the pilot sites for ALC. We will miss his calm demeanor, his steady leadership, and his unflappable passion for education and students. 
The Campaign for College Opportunity will hold a Regional Briefing in the Los Angeles/Long Beach area on Friday, October 30. The briefing will take place at Long Beach City College from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. with the topic being the findings of two important reports. 
