Early in her presidency at Contra Costa College in San Pablo, Calif., Dr. Denise Noldon was surprised by and grateful for an anonymous donor’s gift of more than $1 million to the school.
Now, after a little more than a year on the job, Noldon faces many challenges, several of which are driven by financial issues plaguing higher education, and she is not alone. After years of deep cuts in state funding, the recession and its slow recovery, only to be followed by sequestration and a government shutdown, community college leaders across the country are beginning to use unprecedented measures to help make ends meet.
Fundraising — a long-standing activity at four-year institutions — is becoming a necessity, rather than an option, for community colleges struggling to continue the mission. Schools are also turning to foundations, relying on scholarships and partnering more with business and industry for support and opportunities to enhance student success and graduation rates.
College presidents and administrators are being asked more often to secure donations like the $1 million-plus that Contra Costa College received.
“That’s one of the things we have to do more of,” Noldon says. “We’re trying every way that we know to be better connected out in the community to strengthen our relationships with school districts to ensure that students are aware of opportunities that the college offers.”
The administration, she said, is “engaged in strategic-planning process with our foundation so that we can try to broaden our scope beyond just raising money for scholarships.”
