The Big Picture

By Ishan M. Shah

My big picture, long term take on Ohlone College.

Many people have come up to me the past few weeks asking the question "Ishan, what's your number one priority in your College Board race?" The answer is really very simple, and summed up quite nicely by the following charts:

Ohlone College-> Transfer Programs-> UC or State College-> JOBS

Ohlone College-> Transfer Programs-> UC or State College-> Graduate School-> JOBS

Ohlone College-> Career Technical Education-> JOBS

My number one priority, as an Ohlone College Trustee, will be to ensure the continuation of this process. Whether it be Career Technical Education, or participation in the UC and State college transfer programs, I'm going to make sure that any and all who choose Ohlone as their place of higher education will recieve what they came for.

This is certainly one of those cases where "easier said than done" is applicable. Education has been hit hard by our state's budget troubles, and Ohlone wasn't spared. But in order to understand it all, one has to start with the big picture. Check out the numbers:

Per-Student Funding by Education System, 2009-10 (amounts include state General Fund, local property tax, student fee revenue, and federal stimulus funding, but not STRS or lottery funds.)

K+12 $7,957 California Community Colleges (CCC) $5,376 California State University (CSU) $11,614 University of California (UC) $20,641 Source: LAO, The 2010-11 Budget, pg. HE-3 Now lets factor in how many students each of these systems serve: CCC 1,212,495 full-time equivalent students (FTES), credit CSU 316,370 headcount/FTES UC 172,774 headcount/FTES Private* 149,700 headcount/FTES All data from 75 AICCU WASC-accredited 4-year institutions

Ouch. You're reading that correctly. California Community Colleges are serving record enrollment figures. They are handling everything from job retraining of a population desperate to return to the workforce, to people coming out of high schools who have chosen Ohlone as their place of post-secondary education. Yet even under all the pressure, community college students who complete their transfer requirements, and graduate from 4 year universities, leave those campuses with a higher average gpa than those of students who began and ended at a four year institution. So there you have it, some information about what this fantastic college has been able to do during the most trying of times. My number one priority is to keep Ohlone on this track, to make sure that it continues to improve upon its success as a transfer and CTE campus. So now the question is how, how will I be able to do anything I've planned?

Let's break down why I'm qualified to serve:

- Perspective- As somebody who has completed extensive coursework at the college I'm going to join the Board of Trustees with a present-day perspective. I know the situation as it is today, right now. This point of view makes me the best representative of the Ohlone College constituency. It allows me to stand up for those who are directly impacted by decisions the Board makes.

- Innovation- I was voted Fremont's Best Innovative Thinker for my ability to think outside the box. I like to approach things via the path less traveled, since I believe that's where the maximum potential for new ideas lies. As Trustee, I'm going to bring a fresh, innovative mindset to the table. It will open new doors and start necessary discussions regarding the future of Ohlone College.

- Small Business Background- Those who know me are aware of how tight a grip I keep on my finances. Being raised in a family of small business owners will do that to you! That isn't to say I won't spend money; I just spend it responsibly. This facet of my personal life will be a helpful attribute on the Ohlone College Board of Trustees as the State of California tries to recover from the recession.

The coming years will be critical to Ohlone's continued long-term success. I'm prepared to be the next Ohlone College Trustee, prepared to help lead this college towards its very promising future. I hope you'll honor me with your vote this November.