IRVINE : Drive to Raise Funds for College Fees
Irvine Valley College President Anna L. McFarlin helped unfurl a 20-foot-long banner at the college Thursday announcing a $50,000 fund-raising drive for student scholarships.
The banner will hang from the Student Services Center until the goal is reached and will be marked to show fund-raising progress.
When the state boosted student fees from $5 to $20 a unit last year, some students were forced out of college, said Chuck Dreyfuss of the Irvine Valley College Foundation, which is conducting the drive.
Dreyfuss and his wife, Marilyn, donated $1,000 to begin the fund-raising campaign. They work at Grubb & Ellis Co. in Irvine.
“We feel that education is the most important thing, especially in California at this time,” he said. “To cut funds for students and force the amount of tuition up 400% in one shot is not only going to hurt the California economy but Irvine Valley College.”
As part of the campaign, the foundation will send letters to local businesses and community leaders asking for support. Donors will be recognized in a full-page advertisement in Irvine and Tustin weekly newspapers.
This week, college instructors also began announcing the scholarship drive during classes and asking students for donations for their fellow classmates.
The college reported that it handed out 800 student scholarship applications this spring, four times the number requested last year.
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