CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN FOR 10/26/2017 REGISTER STAR
COLUMBIA-GREENE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
These are interesting times for one of the county’s finest resources, Columbia-Greene Community College. At the age 51, it is in need of some assistance. With cutbacks in New York state funding, infrastructure issues that demand attention, and declining enrollments owing in no small part to Columbia County currently enjoying the lowest unemployment rate in the state, the time has come to help secure the college’s critical place in our community for the foreseeable future.
At a time in the not-so-distant past, the formula for funding the college’s operation remained relatively stable. Each of Columbia and Greene counties contributed 33 percent on an annual basis, while the state covered the remaining 33 percent. That has changed to reflect 40 percent contributions on the part of each county, and a 20 percent commitment by the state, once again placing more of the funding burden on local entities. We call on New York State to restore its fair share of costs, thereby enabling a more predictable funding stream going forward.
We are fortunate that the Columbia County Board of Supervisors recognizes the value of Columbia-Greene Community College, and is whole-heartedly in support of ensuring the continued success of the college for the next 50 years and beyond. This has been demonstrated time and again, most recently when the board joined with the Greene County legislature in authorizing $5 million each of support toward a capital expansion/repair plan. The matter is now in the hands of New York State, which, if the plan is approved, would match that $10 million with $10 million of its own.
The capital plan, which followed a recent master plan revision by the college, has several major components, one of which is to address infrastructure, including roofs that have arrived at the end of their lifespan, and internal systems. Another calls for investing in new equipment and space renovations as new programs are introduced into the curriculum, thereby giving the college the ability to offer programs that will be needed by those faced with changing work force requirements in the coming years. Earlier, I mentioned that much of the cause for lower enrollments has arisen from low unemployment in the county. That’s good news, for now. But we all know one day again the time will come when re-education will again be a priority.
As chairman of the Board of Supervisors, I would propose a meeting with all county guidance counselors in an effort to help those students whose educational needs can best be met close to home in a topnotch institution. The evidence clearly shows Columbia-Greene Community College is something of which we can all be proud. In its 2016-17 rankings, edsmart.org, taking into account such factors as net price, graduation rate, transfer rate, and retention rate, ranked the college at #3 in top New York State community colleges. Bestcolleges.com, noting Columbia-Greene’s “exceptionally inclusive learning environment” and student-to-faculty ratio is 17:1, placed it #5 on its most recent list.
Columbia-Greene Community College has proven itself as a valuable educational resource for many of our county residents. We ask that the state step up to help us continue to deliver on the promise of community colleges as originally envisioned.