League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara, Santa Cruz County, CA November 4, 2008 Election
	Chad Walsh Answers Questions Candidate for Trustee; West Valley-Mission Community College District; Trustee Area 1

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience and training would you bring to this office?

I started my academic life at a community college. When I was 17 years old, I was on my own, working for minimum wage, and had no opportunity to go to a 4-year University to pursue my goal of becoming an electrical engineer. Community colleges opened the door to academia and economic opportunity for me and many others like me.
I bring to the trustee position a deep appreciation for the community college system together with over 15 years of professional and public experience, which includes leadership roles in a Fortune 500 company (National Semiconductor), founding and operating a technology related business, teaching part-time, working on the Board of Directors for the Community College Advancement Foundation, and many other activities.

2. What do you see as the role of the Board in labor negotiations?

The role of a trustee in labor negotiations is to set policy for the district and to ensure that the negotiation process proceeds in a positive and constructive manner to promote and advance such policies, which include attracting and retaining the best employees for the district, the students, and the community commensurate with available district resources.

3. What are your goals for the college? Are students, faculty and staff currently meeting those goals?

My goals for the WVMCCD are as follows:
- foster goodwill and a "team approach" across the board of trustees, the administration, the faculty, the non-faculty employees of the district, and members of the community;
- address and overcome the current financial issues facing the district in a fair, equitable, constructive, and responsible manner;
- set goals, verify results, and strive for excellence in all areas;
- drive marketing and increase enrollment to overcome at least some of the district's financial issues;
- find alternative solutions to overcome the high cost of textbooks;
- monitor and improve transfer opportunities with 4-year Universities;
- monitor and improve student access to education for all members of our community;
- improve the trust and morale of the faculty to continue to attract and retain the best instructors for our students and community;
- continue to update and modernize the colleges' course offerings to bring economic opportunities to our students and the community by capitalizing on new emerging business areas (e.g., green technologies and others);
- strengthen ties to large and small businesses in the community to promote economic opportunity.

The Board must provide leadership in all of these areas, and others, to continue to promote and foster an environment of Educational Excellence.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' responses are not edited or corrected by the League.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 1, 2008 11:32
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