Today's SFGate has an article on how Bay Area community colleges are meeting the demand for training workers in solar panel installation.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/10/BUGD10JVGP.DTL
While one of the researchers who presented the report on training workers to meet the demand for solar panels is at City College, the article does not mention how much training is happening at City College. I will get this information for a future post.
This is further confirmation of the importance of vocational training for green jobs for City College.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Can Green Jobs Save the Middle Class?
I just found this article, though it was posted originally last November. It makes a lot of sense, though, as you'll see, not everyone agrees that green jobs will provide the answers that many of us think they will.
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/67138/
City College is in the middle of the drafting of a Sustainability Plan. Part 1 for Construction, Retrofitting, and Operations has been reviewed through the Shared Governance system, starting with the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Facilities Review Committee. Part 2 for Professional Development, Educational Programs, Student Services, and Community Partnerships continues to be developed by the Sustainability Subcommittee, and should be completed later this year.
At the request of the Board President, I am leading an ad hoc group of Trustees including John Rizzo and Rodel Rodis to review Part 1, and to report back to the full Board on our recommendations for moving this part through our approval process. I hope we will be bringing to the Board soon.
At this particularly difficult economic time with so many cuts proposed to fall disproportionately on community colleges and the students we serve, it is essential that the Board of Trustees recognize the opportunity that green jobs have for San Franciscans. As more and more of the world embraces "green" for its environmental, social, AND economic benefits, San Francisco should take a leadership role in fostering the green economy and in providing the training needed to help our students succeed.
I will be pushing this agenda, and hope others will join with me. If you agree that this is a vital role for City College, please get in touch with me.
http://www.alternet.org/workplace/67138/
City College is in the middle of the drafting of a Sustainability Plan. Part 1 for Construction, Retrofitting, and Operations has been reviewed through the Shared Governance system, starting with the Sustainability Subcommittee of the Facilities Review Committee. Part 2 for Professional Development, Educational Programs, Student Services, and Community Partnerships continues to be developed by the Sustainability Subcommittee, and should be completed later this year.
At the request of the Board President, I am leading an ad hoc group of Trustees including John Rizzo and Rodel Rodis to review Part 1, and to report back to the full Board on our recommendations for moving this part through our approval process. I hope we will be bringing to the Board soon.
At this particularly difficult economic time with so many cuts proposed to fall disproportionately on community colleges and the students we serve, it is essential that the Board of Trustees recognize the opportunity that green jobs have for San Franciscans. As more and more of the world embraces "green" for its environmental, social, AND economic benefits, San Francisco should take a leadership role in fostering the green economy and in providing the training needed to help our students succeed.
I will be pushing this agenda, and hope others will join with me. If you agree that this is a vital role for City College, please get in touch with me.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Transfer opportunities beyond UC and CSU
An article in the San Francisco Chronicle this past Monday on how difficult it is to be a low-income student at Stanford, revived a question that I have had since I joined this Board of Trustees: Why does City College talk almost exclusively about SF State and UC Berkeley for transfer? While those institutions are quite good and make sense for many San Franciscans, they are not the only option. In fact, they may not be the best option for everyone who wants to transfer from City College.
Experiencing life in another part of the country, finding a college that focuses on undergraduate education, and realizing the possibilities that a small college can provide are only some of the reasons why City College students should examine all of the opportunities available.
The article from the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/31/BAIMVHBG9.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea) is particularly relevant for many students at City College. Being able to afford an expensive institution like Stanford is beyond the means of a large segment of the population.
The good news from Stanford and Harvard (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1042997120071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews) is that both institutions have recognized that they are limiting the pool of applicants to only those who can afford the high fees that they charge. What's heartening about the news from both colleges is that they now recognize that they need to put the resources of their enormous endowments to good use in lowering or eliminating fees for deserving students. Hopefully, this will attract more City College students to consider transferring to one of these colleges.
As the article points out, however, living expenses are another cost that many students cannot afford. Wouldn't it be great if we could find a way to raise funds to help City College students who transfer to meet the costs they incur after transferring? Seems like something we should pursue with the College's Foundation.
Experiencing life in another part of the country, finding a college that focuses on undergraduate education, and realizing the possibilities that a small college can provide are only some of the reasons why City College students should examine all of the opportunities available.
The article from the Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/31/BAIMVHBG9.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea) is particularly relevant for many students at City College. Being able to afford an expensive institution like Stanford is beyond the means of a large segment of the population.
The good news from Stanford and Harvard (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1042997120071210?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews) is that both institutions have recognized that they are limiting the pool of applicants to only those who can afford the high fees that they charge. What's heartening about the news from both colleges is that they now recognize that they need to put the resources of their enormous endowments to good use in lowering or eliminating fees for deserving students. Hopefully, this will attract more City College students to consider transferring to one of these colleges.
As the article points out, however, living expenses are another cost that many students cannot afford. Wouldn't it be great if we could find a way to raise funds to help City College students who transfer to meet the costs they incur after transferring? Seems like something we should pursue with the College's Foundation.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The launch of CityCollege:SF
This is the first posting for CityCollege:SF. My goals in launching this site are: first, to encourage everyone interested in community colleges the opportunity to understand and comment on important issues facing City College of San Francisco. Second, I want to better connect the College's Board of Trustees with the students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
I invite you to check this site frequently. My hope is that I will launch a new topic weekly, and welcome broad discussion on these issues. Most often, I will also post a news article or some other document to help frame the online conversation we will have.
If you have ideas for future topics, please email me at mmarks@ccsf.edu.
The first article I want to share with you is from Inside Higher Ed. It addresses the issue of remedial education, focusing on the programs supported by the Hewlett Foundation. City College is one of Hewlett's grantees.
Please take a look at "Rethinking Remedial Education" by clinking on the following link, and post a comment, question, or reply to get our conversation going.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/01/29/california
Thanks.
Milton Marks
I invite you to check this site frequently. My hope is that I will launch a new topic weekly, and welcome broad discussion on these issues. Most often, I will also post a news article or some other document to help frame the online conversation we will have.
If you have ideas for future topics, please email me at mmarks@ccsf.edu.
The first article I want to share with you is from Inside Higher Ed. It addresses the issue of remedial education, focusing on the programs supported by the Hewlett Foundation. City College is one of Hewlett's grantees.
Please take a look at "Rethinking Remedial Education" by clinking on the following link, and post a comment, question, or reply to get our conversation going.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2008/01/29/california
Thanks.
Milton Marks
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