Superintendent says tough choices have kept college on track

On Friday, May 21, more than five hundred of our best and brightest will cross a threshold in their lives. They got there with a blend of hard support from our first-class faculty, staff and administrators.

They will take the lessons of Southwestern and become our state's great educators, public servants and innovators. Based on the success of our past graduating classes, I know they will go out into the world and make a difference.

Our graduates have been with us through an interesting year, one driven by California's budget woes. They have watched the college – like colleges up and down our state – struggle with the need to keep offering classes and services but have less financial support to do it. We often talk about how the college is teaching 700 more students than the state is funding, forcing the college to lose out on critical resources. Teaching these students is the right thing to do but the lack of state support makes it challenging.

I point to this fact for two reasons. First, it demonstrates our firm commitment to our students, and their education and future. Every decision we make is decided by a single question: Will this benefit the people who come here to learn? That's why we chose to offer summer classes, even as schools around the state are canceling sessions. We know these classes are especially important to our graduates, so they can transfer to other colleges and universities, or begin their careers.

The second reason is it teaches our students an important lesson: even in tough times, you can persevere and overcome.

We saw the nation's financial storm coming. Instead of waiting for it to make landfall, we made tough but smart choices – and our forethought paid off. Across the state, other colleges and universities have issued mass lay-off notices or cut employees' pay.

But here, faculty and staff are still getting their full salaries, benefits and step and column raises. The college has made no mid-year cuts and no lay-offs of full-time contract employees. Ultimately this helps our students to continue receiving the teaching and support services they need, expect and deserve.

Now, I know not all of our choices have been popular – but sometimes the smart thing is not the popular thing to do. I can tell you with certainty we made these tough choices with the greater good in mind. Making these tough choices has allowed us to save money, support our students and staff, preserve our campus and plan for the future. These days, that's an accomplishment of note for our college.

Just as our graduates have learned from us, I have learned from them: if they can remained focused and disciplined despite these trying times, then we as faculty, staff and administrators must do the same.

They now become ambassadors of our institution, of the ideals in which we believe: knowledge, service, decency and integrity. Our job is to pass those ideals onto the next generation of learners and leaders. If they can succeed in such tough times, so can we.

Congratulations once again to the class of 2010. I look forward to our Commencement Ceremony on May 21 – and to the success of our graduates in the days and years ahead.