Community Commentary -- Margaret Gratton

As the song goes, “It’s Time to Say Goodbye.”

Writing this piece is one of my final tasks as Orange Coast College

president, as I retire after having served six wonderful years on campus.

I am pleased to report to you that Orange Coast is in fine shape -- and

will go forward in good and capable hands. The future is bright.

After spending 32 years as a community college educator and leader,

I’ve decided to retire in order to spend more time with friends and

family, and to involve myself in writing projects that have been placed

on hold in recent years.

As Orange Coast College prepares to enter its 55th year of operation

this fall, it is renowned as one of America’s premier community colleges.

Today, OCC serves 28,000 students who enroll in more than 2,500 courses

each semester. The college is a remarkable place, filled with incredible

stories, people and accomplishments. I feel extraordinarily grateful to

have had my six-year association with Orange Coast College.

It is gratifying that during my presidency, most of OCC’s planning

goals were achieved. The college’s enrollment increased by 3,000

students, and we hired a hundred new faculty members through replacements

and by expanding faculty positions in order to serve a growing student

population. These new faculty members bring additional energy and

vitality to the campus. They ensure our future as a leader in technical

training and in transferring students to the University of California and

California State University systems.

In January of 2001, OCC received a continuing, full, six-year

accreditation from the Western Assn. of Schools and Colleges. OCC’s

Foundation recently completed its most successful year ever, and we were

able to raise nearly $18 million in cash and in-kind donations since my

arrival in 1996. Most of the money has gone to scholarships for students.

I offer my heartfelt thanks to all the generous persons who have made

that possible.

We began the 2002 calendar year with a $1-million gift to construct a

new $2.5-million Arts Pavilion on campus, which will break ground next

January. The college’s high-tech, state-funded, $12-million,

70,000-square-foot Arts Center opens this fall. We have worked to

renovate and retrofit older buildings, and have significantly expanded

student access to technology. Our students excel in academics and

athletics.

Orange County can be justifiably proud of Orange Coast College!

What most people don’t realize, however, is that many of our buildings

and facilities are 30, 40, and even 50 years old. They are outdated and

deteriorating -- stretched to the limit in supporting OCC’s mission of

providing access to a quality and affordable education for more and more

students. Worn-out roofs, inadequate air conditioning and plumbing

systems, and insufficient classroom space are not compatible with the

college’s hard-earned national reputation for excellence.

Orange Coast College’s classrooms, laboratories and buildings need

repairs and improvements in order to meet the educational needs of

students for the 21st century. Additionally, it is critical that OCC’s

instructional areas continue to be equipped with current technology.

Further, the college must upgrade security and safety to include

additional lighting, walkways and ramps devoid of potholes, and

up-to-date equipment. Despite the promise of a bright future, Orange

Coast College faces a serious facilities crisis. But, there’s something

we can do about it.

The Coast Community College District Board of Trustees, which governs

Orange Coast College, is considering placing a bond measure on the

November 2002 ballot.

Passage of that measure would ensure the implementation of urgent

repairs to the campus, and the upgrading and construction of new

classrooms. As I prepare to leave OCC -- our wonderful community resource

-- I urge you to become engaged in the bond process and let the Coast

District know your opinions and concerns regarding a possible ballot

measure.

I deeply value Orange Coast College’s students. We hold the OCC legacy

in our hands. We must cultivate it and care for it as a precious gift for

current and future students -- for our community. I know you feel the

same.

Thank you for your generous support. Being at OCC and in this

community has been a fantastic personal and professional experience --

the highlight of my career. I shall never forget it. Please take good

care of “our college.”

Go Coast!

* MARGARET GRATTON became OCC’s seventh president on July 10, 1996.

Her final day on the job is Monday. Before her OCC stint, she was a

longtime faculty member and administrator at Mt. Hood Community College

in Gresham, Ore.