PROGRAM REDUCTIONin AN AMERICAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE:

CHALLENGES & ISSUES

SON KIM VO, Ph. D.

Coastline Community College, Coast District

svo@coastline.edu June 28-29 2012

THE PUBLIC SYSTEM of EDUCATION IN CALIFORNIA

• Head Start Program• K-6th Grade Elementary School• 7- 8th Grade Junior High/ Middle School• 9- 12th Grade High School HS Diploma

• Community Colleges A.A. and/or A.S. Degrees • The Cal State System: 4- Year Universities

B.A. and B.S. Degrees & M.A. and M.S Degrees• The University of California System: 4-Year Universities

B.A. and B.S. Degrees & M.A. and M.S. Degrees &

Ed. D. , Ph. D. , M.D. and Pharm. D. Degrees

The budget deficit in California

impacts

the whole Education System

COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN CALIFORNIA

Community College also known as Two-Year College and/or Junior College.

Each student, 18 and above, can apply to a community college. Students are required to have academic basic skills that can be acquired in college remedial programs before they can be admitted to a vocational certificate program and/or transferred program to 4-year universities.

Functions of a Community College

1. Addressing the needs within a community by offering vocational training and lifelong learning programs.

2. Screening students for the 4-year universities by offering study programs that can be transferred to 4-year universities.

3. Providing remedial programs in English and in Mathematics to prepare not-ready students for the vocational and transfer programs.

ADMINISTRATION

The System of Community Colleges in California consists of several Districts divided according to their geographical locations. Each Community College is under the administration of:

• Board Members who are elected officials.• Chancellor selected by the Board who supervises a

community college district that can include one or several community colleges.

• President of a Community College selected by the Chancellor and the Board.

• Deans in charge of a number of study subjects.• Academic Senate and Program Coordinators

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & CANCELLATION in A COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The District Chancellor develops the district policy according to State Board of Community Colleges guidelines for the funds approval.

The President of each college within the district, through consultation of Academic Senate, Curriculum Committee, Deans in charge of Study Subjects, Program Coordinators and Chairs of each department, determines the program development and class cancellation according to students and community needs and the district policy as well.

CHALLENGES & ISSUES

• The discrepancy between Enrollment Growth and Fund Reduction

• The mismatch between Students and Community Needs and State Fund Policy.

• The determination of class cancellation percentage in each department.

• The issue of English-As-A-Second Language versus the development of transferred courses to 4-year universities.