Over the years I have been an outspoken critic of the consolidation of the 12 independently accredited community colleges into one CT State Community College with a single accreditation. It has saved no money, and in fact, has cost much more, and has meant the end of each college’s ability to meet the needs of its unique student body and its unique community.
The independent colleges were transformational, as one college, the campuses can be nothing more than transactional.
To be clear, my alternative plan is to return us to independently accredited community colleges that will again be able to support and serve our local students and communities, and then ask the state of Connecticut to fund us at a level that will allow us to properly do that job.
We create a better future for Connecticut and for the country when we are structured to support our distinct community and student needs and we are funded properly. In an AACC (American Association of Community Colleges) 2022 report that analyzed FY2019-20 data, it noted that for every tax dollar spent on community colleges there is a $6.80 return on investment. According to that report, in FY2019-20 alumni of U.S. community colleges generated $898.5 billion in added income for the national economy. To give context, the report notes that is equal to about 4.1% of the total U.S. gross domestic product.
Who knew when Jane Gates, then the CSCU Provost; Merle Harris, then a member of the Board of Regents; and David Levinson, then the Interim CT State CC President, wrote the op-ed in the CT Mirror July 07, 2020, and ended it with the below statement they would be so prophetic. Unsurprisingly, it shows in everything being done to create a third-rate college. “This is our promise to Black and Latinx students. Connecticut State Community College is being built for you. A college designed for your success. A college that will serve to change Connecticut generation by generation.”
And, in the creation of CT State, it has been made clear that the Black, Latinx, and all students from the wrong side of the socio-economic spectrum are not worthy of the kind of education offered to their counterparts at other colleges and universities.
Unfortunately, the continuous drip, drip, drip of CSCU scandals involving money, sex, fear, bullying, and humiliation are shiny objects that overshadow issues concerning the education of our students. The CSCU system’s deeply entrenched mismanagement has been a disaster in the educational arena, its reason for being in the first place. And the community college consolidation has only made the educational journey for our students more complicated and less productive.
As an illustration of how our legislators cherry-pick what they want to believe, instead of asking questions and listening to those of us who are directly affected by this disaster, here is a quote from State Sen. Derek Slap who is the co-chair of the legislative Higher Education and Employment Advancement Committee. This quote comes from a WFSB Sept. 22 article entitled “Lawmakers Call for Reforms After Scandals at Top of Connecticut State College System:”
“Well, what’s ironic is that the outcomes for students have been improving, and so the system, in terms of delivering a high-quality and affordable education for thousands and thousands of students in Connecticut, that has been a success, and it’s being marred right now by scandals at the very top.”
For our legislators to believe everything is going very well on the academic side while the system is mired in sexual, monetary, and other ongoing scandals takes a true stretch of the imagination. Asking questions to determine how deep the dysfunction is within the CSCU and CT State systems should not be optional at this point.
Being offended by the John Maduko report, and, apparently, never bothering to read the Ferrilli report, the AASC&U (American Association of State Colleges & Universities) HR Assessment, and others, that addressed systemic educational issues that negate the above statement should also not be optional. However, sensational scandals will always attract more attention than the mundane issues of whether the CSCU and CT State systems are truly benefiting our students’ education.
How can anyone take the Board of Regents and the CSCU and CT State administration at their word on educational statements while, at the same time (belatedly) questioning their actions, or lack thereof, regarding the money, sex, and bullying scandals? It is time-consuming, and boring, to learn what is really happening in the education area. And learning the truth might require action, and that would require work.
Our students, our communities, and our future are the pawns in this chess game. And right now it looks like the game is rigged against an ending that will benefit this state or this country.
Lois Aime is Director of Educational Technology at CT State Norwalk (aka Norwalk Community College).