Announcements and Reminders
Our application for community grants has been posted. It is on the top right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13th. Please note: The application must be downloaded and filled out off-line then e-mailed in.
Remember our major fundraiser April 13th! A roast for Bruce McPherson will be the highlight! Tickets are $150. Think about business sponsorships (which come with free tickets!) and possible silent auction items! And bring a bottle of wine for our wine wheelbarrow.
April 7th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies (sanders and drop cloths especially) and volunteers! If you want to add your name to the list see Craig.
Rotarian of the week is Michelle for all her hard work on the major fundraiser.
Next week is a board meeting at 11:00. The week after is a foundation meeting at the same time.John Fisher announced that we still need $50 from every member for donations for Polio Plus. Contributions will be matched.
Our speaker today was Dr. Matthew Wetstein, the new president of Cabrillo College. He has a political science doctorate and started his career as a political science professor. He is the author of a number of articles. He first shared with us a little of his personal background . He comes to us from the central valley, (Stockton), after bring born in the Midwest, (East St. Louis Illinois). Then he went on to speak about Cabrillo. It currently serves 12000 students in its two sites. Sixty percent (60%) of the students are women. One in five of the students is the first in the family to attend college.
Almost 2/3 attend part time and most work. More than 40% are Hispanic. Cabrillo is the number one feeder university for UCSC. A large proportion of students also go to San Jose State and CSUMB.
In terms of the entire system there 114 community colleges serving 2.4 million students. It is the biggest educational system in the country. It is also an engine for work force development.
A proposed new model for funding will be based on enrollment as well as the number of economically challenged students and the number of students that complete degrees or certificates or transfers. This will inadvertently discriminate against older students which from 11% of Cabrillo’s student population.
Among Cabrillo’s notable achievements are the women’s volleyball team, the men’s basketball team, the arts programs, the Stroke Center, Solari Center for Green technology and one of our favorites, Digital Nest!
Dr. Wetstein concluded by discussing a new initiative, Guided Pathways, where the goal is to provide structured, scheduled choices to students, particularly if they are coming out of high school.