I wish you a Happy 4th of July. Community Colleges are the backbone of the California Higher education system. Forty-one percent of all undergraduates are in community colleges (Community College Research Center). “Twenty-nine percent of University of California graduates and fifty-one percent of California State University graduates started at a community college.” Seven out of ten nurses in California received some education in community college. Eighty percent of all law enforcement, firefighters, and EMTs are trained in Community College (California Community College Association for Occupational Education). According to the California Community College website, sixty-five percent of our students are economically disadvantaged.

Community college makes it happen, whether it is by transferring students, training them for a career, or offering noncredit courses to improve their opportunities. We are doing amazing things, changing lives, and impacting communities. We give hope, opportunity, and inspiration. Community College is a significant part of the engine that makes California go. Thank you for making this an true Independence Day for so many we serve. Thank you, and enjoy your well-deserved holiday!

In Unity,

A. James McKeever PhD

President, AFT 1521 Faculty Guild