Community’s Chance to Shape Colleges

Never have so many enjoyed so much for so long. That seems to be the prevailing sentiment expressed in a recent survey of Orange County residents, conducted by researchers at UC Irvine. Among the many dimensions that lead to a high degree of personal satisfaction, education is a priority factor in this and previous annual polls. To sustain the good times and extend these benefits to all county residents is our greatest community challenge.

Rancho Santiago Community College District has a considerable stake in our community’s future. We touch the lives of more than 47,000 students through courses at Santa Ana College, Santiago Canyon College or one of our seven centers located throughout the district’s 193-square-mile service area.

Every student comes to us with relationships to a family, to an employer, to a faith, to civic and social groups--which extend our connections to the wider community we serve. Three-quarters of our students work at full- or part-time jobs, nearly half are parents, and their average age is 30, numbers that suggest the many community connections students bring to the learning environment.

In addition, the district service area includes nearly 700,000 residents, all of whom have an interest in the safety of their neighborhoods, the economic vitality of their hometown and the region, and the stability of their jobs. All these factors are rooted in access to high-quality education. Therefore, we have an obligation to consider the ripple effect of our educational services into a wide network of community relationships.

The district has developed two approaches to address this important responsibility. First, a master plan is underway to map the educational programs and resources needed for the district’s two colleges and the centers.

Maas, Rao, Taylor and Associates, a firm that creates educational and facility master plans, is conducting environmental and internal studies. An important part of the firm’s project is consultation with civic, agency and business leaders on what the community needs for success.

This introduces the second initiative: the formation of a community advisory committee to include a broad cross-section of leaders. Our vision for this coalition of community representatives is that they serve as forecasters of educational needs and aid in setting priorities.

For more than 80 years, community residents have turned to their local community college for high-quality educational services. Building on the rich tradition of Santa Ana College, the community college district must change continually to meet evolving needs. We have set our sights on nurturing the state’s newest community college, Santiago Canyon College in east Orange, to serve this rapidly growing area.

More than ever, we rely on our community partners to plan for the future. It’s an investment in improvement of the quality of life for Orange County residents.