Students and Facilities update

By Diana M. Conti

We have seen great student improvement and facilities are on track.

The number of associate degrees awarded has jumped by 40%, the number of certificates earned increased by 33%, and overall graduations grew by 34%.

All accreditation warnings were removed and COM now has unconditional accreditation.

Emeritus courses for seniors and non-credit courses that were threatened by changes to State guidelines and budget cuts, have now been protected by our commitment to life- long learning through minor fee increases and donor participation.

COM's Educational Master Plan and Strategic Plan incorporate updated and improved course offerings and regularly assess student needs and priorities. We have exceeded our goals for increasing success rates through comprehensive student support systems.

Although COM offers slightly fewer courses as a result of budget cuts, retention and success rates are higher.

We now offer distance education courses and are implementing a plan to build our technology infrastructure to increase online course options.

We have increased transfer courses and library and counseling services on the IVC campus.

Facilities

We have developed a facilities master plan that addresses both ongoing and deferred maintenance needs on both campuses, and costs are prioritized as part of the budget process.

The voter approved bond measure has allowed us to modernize many buildings and build new ones better suited for the technological needs of today's students. We have new or improved buildings for Math/ Science/ Nursing; physical education; fine arts; performing arts; transportation technology; child development studies; and general education. We responded to community requests to refurbish the track for better use by students and the community.

Buildings have been brought into compliance with new ADA standards, a host of technological improvements have been made, and new buildings achieved LEED status for green standards and energy efficiency.

We worked extensively with community members to assure the design of the new academic center would meet student needs while remaining true to the neighborhood needs and environment. This will be the last major project of the bond measure, due to be completed in 2014.

All projects have been maintained within budget.