Chancellor leads fight to end poverty/Press Enterprise
October 6th, 2014FYI
http://www.pe.com/articles/burke-751367-students-poverty.html
“Education is the solution to issues related to poverty, said Michael Burke, the new chancellor of the Riverside Community College District.”
“Pointing students down academic pathways to careers, showing them what classes they need semester by semester, and providing tutoring, counseling and academic advice should pay off in higher graduation rates in a few years.”
“We can provide that educational transcendence that can provide a path out of poverty.” Chancellor Burke
Blog:
The Inland Empire is at a ‘tipping point’ re college going rates and the community colleges are the best investment to increase this metric, create higher income levels and economic growth for our community.
There is a task force at the California Chancellors Office at work now to revise the current funding formula for community colleges. The unfortunate thing is that NOT one college from the Inland Empire sits at that discussion table and the committee is closed according to information I have been provided by the Chancellor’s office. It is imperative that an added metric be part of the new funding formula which allows increase in growth $$$consistently for colleges with the lowest college going rates.
The results of the task force are to be presented in late October to the Association of Chief Business Officers (ACBO) and I expect MSJC’s CBO to attend and report to the Board of Trustees on this issue. If said formula does not adequately address our low college going rates in the Inland Empire for future funding up to the state average, then we will need to establish a representative group to lobby the Chancellor and the Board of Governors directly. Time is critical and our students deserve the best effort.
An educated workforce is an economic engine for its community. Kudos to Chancellor Burke…he gets it!