Re-Elect Joan Livingston - SBCC Trustee

By Joan M. Livingston

Continuity of trustee leadership provides experience and accountability - keeping the promise of excellence at SBCC.

The community can take great pride in SBCC. Our award-winning faculty reamin innovative and responsive to changing student needs. Long-term staff retention allows for critical long-term planning.

SBCC remains among the leaders in transfers to the University of California. 75% of Cottage Hospital nurses are trained at SBCC and our nursing students have a 100% hire rate upon graduation. One out of three loal residents take SBCC Adult Ed classes. We are doing a great job and I will work hard to see this continue.

With over 1300 full and part-time employees and a $65 million budget, SBCC plays a major part in the stability of our local economy. 44% of all our local high-school graduates choose SBCC for college and we strive to serve them well.

The past 10 years have brought major change to SBCC. I believe continuity of board leadership is one of the best ways to provide the accountability and preservation of SBCC's institutional history that is necessary to maintain the college's integrity during these times of change.

Long board service has always been a hallmark for SBCC since its inception. This has made SBCC unique among its community college family.

During the past 10 years, Dr. Peter MacDougall retired after 20 exceptional years. The board asked President John Romo to serve as our new Superintendent/President. President Romo was welcomed heartily by both campus and community because he also has a long history of service to SBCC.

Over the past 10 years, SBCC educational services additionally expanded deep into the community to bring professional development classes to municipal employees, college credit classes to almost 3000 high-school students to jump-start their college careers, and new programs, both on and off campus, which respond quickly to local business needs.

And of course, our beloved Adult Ed programs continue to grow, in spite of getting less state funding each year. Over 40,000 local residents take Adult Ed classes. This is one of the most comprehensive life-long learning programs in the nation. It too is a pride of our community.

Community philantrophy was extraordinary during the past 10 years. We saw the successful completion of the 21st Century Campaign raising over $25 million dollars for student and college needs.

Technology in education 10 years ago was new to almost all of us. Now online education plays an increasing role bringing classes to more students who need its flexibility to reach their educational goals.

We continue to face state funding challenges, threats to local governance control, changing student educational needs, limits on community resources, and new staff and faculty housing challenges that are unique ot our local area.

These problems do not have easy fixes. They take experience and well-developed community relationships to find the best solutions that also keep SBCC a good neighbor in our community. I can offer you this. My 10 years with the college have given me greater insights into the state-wide political process and I developed a very realistic understanding about local municipal planning and policies.

We have seen major change and challenge in the past 10 years, and we area well-positioned because of the prudent management of our public trust to meet the future. Our strong financial reserves let us weather the most recent state fiscal crisis without major disruption to our important programs and staffing.

I would be honored to have your continued support so that I may serve another four years as your SBCC trustee. I promise to always bring the best in education to our local community.

Thank you for your vote and your support.

Joan Livingston Incumbent Governing Board Member Santa Barbara Community College District