For Immediate Release Contact: Frances Squire
March 1, 2009 Phone: (559) 934-2134 or 250-6389
West Hills College Coalinga president updates Project Coalinga
Great things are happening at West Hills College Coalinga. That was the message that Dr. Willard Lewallen, president of the college, had for those attending last week’s Project Coalinga meeting.
Lewallen gave the group an overview of enrollment growth and plans for construction and program growth at WHCC and North District Center, Firebaugh, which is officially part of WHCC.
“Providing access to educational opportunities for our service area remains our priority,” Lewallen said.
Speaking about the challenges created by the state budget situation, he added, “We’re doing a lot more with less and we’re getting incredibly efficient. We will be poised to move forward and expand with efficiencies built in when the budget improves.”
Enrollment in West Hills Community College District has grown significantly over the years despite serious state budget cuts in 2003-2004 and since the beginning of 2008. Spring semester of 2001, the district had 5,448 students enrolled. Today that number stands at over 7,000—a 28.5 percent increase.
This semester about 30 percent of those students take the majority of their classes at WHCC/NDC. Another 25 percent take the majority of their units online and 45 percent are enrolled at West Hills College Lemoore.
One of the challenges facing the district, and colleges everywhere, Lewallen said, is a flattening in the number of projected high school graduates. In 2001, there were 1,241 students graduating from service area high schools (western Fresno and Kings counties). By 2003, that number jumped to 2,057 with a peak expected in 2011 of 2,241 graduates and a leveling for a number of years into the future.
The result of that will be that the college will need to offer programs attractive to those older than the traditional college age. It will also need to look for students outside the service area. One example he cited was the International Students Program that brings more than 100 students a semester from outside the U.S. to WHCC.
“We currently have four students from Russia,” he said, “and we’re looking at new markets including Turkey.”
State budget reductions have also created challenges for the district with reductions over the last two academic years amounting to almost $7 million.
“On a positive note, the district has generated over $94 million in grants during the past 10 years, “ he said.
“Those grants are separate from our state funding and have allowed us to continue to offer classes and services that would have been cut,” he said, noting that WHCC received over $5 million in grant funding in 2008-2009 and a new Department of Labor grant will provide the college with $3 million over the next two years. Eight other new grant proposals have been submitted since December.
“The district has also saved over $600,000 this year through furloughs,” he said.
“Administrators are off two days a month, which means a 10 percent cut in pay for them, and faculty and staff have a one day a month furlough, which amounts to a five percent cut.”
“We’re the only community college district in the state that implemented these furloughs this year,” Lewallen said, adding that employees accepted them in record time to avoid layoffs.
On a more positive note, Lewallen talked about bond measures that passed in the district in 2008. School Facilities Improvement District #1 for $11.8 million passed in June of 2008 in the NDC area with 68 percent voter approval and SFID #2 for $11.6 million passed with a 64 percent rating the following November.
He noted that SFID #2 Citizens’ Oversight Committee for the Coalinga/Huron area includes business owner Ralph Gorrill, Pleasant Valley State Prison Warden James Yates, WHCC student Lisa Carrana, WHCC Athletic Boosters representative Mike Isaac, Coalinga Mayor Ron Lander and Coalinga business owner Richard Hill.
There is a similar committee for the NDC area with both committees charged with overseeing expenditures to make sure they are consistent with what was promised to voters in the bond language.
He explained that the local SFID bond dollars are leveraged with state construction dollars and a number of projects are already in the works, with about $26.6 million in improvements planned in Coalinga during the next three years.
Major projects include a $9.5 million wellness center that is under construction and should be completed by August. It is the first new building on the Coalinga campus in many years, he added. That project also includes a total renovation of the gymnasium, which opened in the late 1950s.
Ready to go to bid soon is a $12.4 million agriculture science facility at the Farm of the Future on Gayle Avenue adjacent to the college rodeo grounds.
Another much anticipated project involves soccer fields that are being built in conjunction with the City of Coalinga at the regional sports complex on Cambridge Avenue.
Projects that will be less visible to the community but equally important in keeping the college current with 21st century technology include switch replacement and maintenance for computer systems and master planning for the college.
A renovation of the men’s residence halls has been completed and a learning center is planned in the community of Huron.
Lewallen also outlined plans for NDC, which include some renovations to the existing building, which is housed in a 60 year old former bowling alley. Planned for at least five years down the road is a new two-story building in Firebaugh that will serve as a home for the more than 500 students who attend classes there.
Learning centers, which include the latest in technology, are also planned for Mendota, Tranquillity and San Joaquin, Lewallen said. “Transportation is a serious issue for residents of those communities and using technology, they will be able to participate in college classes while close to home.”
There will also be an expansion of existing programs, he said and some new programs are in development. State and national certification in areas like welding and irrigation technology are planned and a licensed vocational nursing program is being explored.
Audience member Ann Woodson closed the meeting with a comment that the college had sure grown since when her husband started teaching there in January of 1949 when there were about 100 students.
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