This evening, inside Gavilan Community College’s gymnasium, Dr.
Steve Kinsella will present graduating students with 389 degrees
and certificates.
GILROY –– This evening, inside Gavilan Community College’s gymnasium, Dr. Steve Kinsella will present graduating students with 389 degrees and certificates.
Just as the commencement ceremony represents each graduate stepping into the future, it also symbolizes a crucial time the president faces in guiding the college through an uncertain period in its own evolution.
When he took on the role of Gavilan’s president 17 months ago, Kinsella faced many tough questions. Among other significant issues, the college is dealing with severe budget cuts from the state, buildings on Gilroy’s main campus are in need of major repairs and upgrades, and the district’s rapidly growing population is changing from an agricultural culture to a computer-age one.
“I have all the respect in the world for Steve,” said Marty Johnson, dean of instruction. “I think he’s the right president for the right time because of all the ongoing financial issues that all the community colleges are facing.”
Kinsella’s background as a certified public accountant, his doctorate in accounting and his people-management skills will serve the college well in getting through the current budget crisis, Johnson emphasized.
Kinsella has been ingenious in tackling Gavilan’s financial woes. A budget work group he helped create found innovative ways to cut $1.2 million (about 5 percent of the college budget) without Draconian measures like the layoffs suffered by other California community colleges.
Kinsella’s open and straightforward leadership style also helped raise morale among Gavilan’s faculty, many of whom were frightened of potential layoffs because of the current state budget crisis, said Ken Wagman, math instructor and president of Gavilan’s Academic Senate.
“I think things have gone surprisingly well given the challenges that community colleges are facing,” Wagman said. “We’re in great shape compared to most community colleges in the region.”
Kinsella’s job performance in managing Gavilan’s current financial crisis was a “big morale booster,” said Robert Rinck, Gavilan job counselor and representative for the professional sports/classified staff on the President’s Council.
“He’s so smart with the budget and good with working with people,” he said. Rinck described how friends at other community colleges have faced layoffs due to far greater budgetary “disasters” on those campuses. But Kinsella’s expert management of the Gavilan budget has allowed the college to operate relatively smoothly in the current fiscal crisis, keeping staff and faculty spirits up, he said.
And Kinsella’s leadership also played a crucial role in the narrow passage of Measure E, a $108 million bond Gavilan College District voters approved last March. The bond money will be used to upgrade facilities at Gilroy’s main campus. It also will purchase land and build new classrooms in Hollister as well as in the Coyote Valley, where a projected community of 80,000 people is planned north of Morgan Hill.
The development in Coyote Valley will be a key part of Gavilan’s long-term success. A campus in the planned new community will tie the South Valley to Silicon Valley.
“It’s a strategic location for Gavilan because I believe it will really enhance the image of the school,” she said.
Forty years ago, when voters in the Gavilan College district approved a bond to build the main campus in the Gabilan foothills, Gilroy’s population stood at just more than 7,500 citizens. Today, Gavilan serves about that many students at its main Gilroy campus as well as satellite sites in Hollister and Morgan Hill.
No one can predict what problems and issues the district will face in the next four decades or how much more the various communities will grow. But with Kinsella’s leadership and financial talents, faculty, staff, students and board members believe the college already has taken solid footsteps into the future.
IN A NUTSHELL: SIX ISSUES AFFECTING
GAVILAN’S FUTURE
– State budget crisis: California’s financial problems means the state cut millions of dollars in funding for community college system. Last year,
Gavilan College made budget cuts that saved the college $1.2 million in on-going operating expenses. It still has a deficit of about $200,000.
Because of the crisis, the state raised tuition from $11 a unit to $18 a unit this academic year for all 109 community colleges; next fall’s tuition will rise to $24 a unit for students without a bachelor’s degree and $50 a unit for those with a degree.
– Search for two new vice president: Two Gavilan College administrators, Martin Johnson, dean of instruction, and John Baker, dean of student
services, will retire at the end of the current semester. Sherrean Carr will serve for one year in the interim position of Vice President of Instruction and Student Services while Gavilan College undergoes a search for two new vice presidents. Combining the administrative positions will save the college about $100,000 in the next year.
– Hollister site: The Briggs Building in downtown Hollister was intended as a temporary location for classrooms until a permanent location could be found. Measure E money is earmarked to purchase land and build new facilities in Hollister. One proposed location is former Fremont Elementary School owned by the city and currently not in use. Proposed plans for the Hollister site’s future include offering classes through the University of California, Monterey Bay.
– Sports programs: Like other colleges, Gavilan College still needs to meet federally-mandated Title IX requirements in providing equal opportunity for both genders in athletics. Some improvement has already occurred: Last year, for example, the women’s softball field and dugout were renovated, providing equity in facilities.
– Developing new vocational programs: For many years, Gavilan College has offered vocational programs such as its police academy, cosmetology and nursing departments. In recent years, it has added high-tech classes such as a Cisco networking academy and a digital media program. It is currently expanding its offerings with teaching programs in conjunction with San Jose State University, as well as a new bioscience program starting next fall that will promote bio-technology industry. It is considering other vocational programs to offer the district.
– New infrastructure of main campus: The original Gilroy campus was built in the late 1960s and is severely aging. Starting next summer, upgrades and repair work in plumbing, electricity, communications and structural problems will start. The majority of Measure E bond funds will pay for the extensive construction work.
Keeping high quality of instruction: The college faces a number of instructors reaching retirement age. It must find new instructors with
high-quality teaching skills to replace them. Retaining college students: In past semesters, Gavilan College has lost as many as 25 percent of its new students. One survey found many leave because they don’t feel a part of the college community. Among other initiatives, Gavilan has started a new program called ”First Year Experience” to help new students adjust to college life.
Cultural evolution of region: Four decades ago when the Gavilan Community College District was formed, the region was primarily agricultural. Now the communities of Hollister, Gilroy and Morgan Hill, San Martin and San Juan Bautista have become commuter towns for Silicon Valley. Gavilan must continue to evolve to meet the changing cultural and career needs of the population.
Digital Divide: A recent survey paid for by a federal grant under Title V (a legislative code promoting equality of educational availability) found a wide gulf in high-tech literacy and computer access between Hispanics and non-Hispanics in the Gavilan district. Just like English as a Second
Language (ESL) programs have proven popular at the college. Gavilan must now meet the needs of Hispanics in learning computer skills to improve their job opportunities.
SOURCE: Jan Bernstein-Chargin, college spokesperson
Gavilan College Chronology
1919: San Benito Junior College founded in Hollister as an adjunct to the secondary school district. Classes held at San Benito High School for many decades
Early 1960s: State of California mandates a master plan for higher education to accommodate secondary education.
– California’s junior colleges unify and lay the groundwork for the community college system
– State requires a critical mass of students for a district to receive funding. San Benito Junior College couldn’t meet the requirement so drive began to join with Gilroy and Morgan Hill to create new district.
1963: Gavilan Joint Community College District founded
1964: Voter approval of bond to create campus in Gilroy
– Land purchased at present main campus.
1965: First Gavilan classes start at temporary location at Hollister airport
1967: Gilroy campus opens for some classes. Buildings include Student Center, Physical Education and Library
1968: More buildings open (including Theater, Cosmetology, Science buildings); official dedication of campus
mid-1980s: satellite classes (ESL, math, English) offered in Hollister in various locations such as downtown store fronts, Sacred Heart School and San Benito High School; classes first offered at Live Oak High School
1991: Hollister satellite campus opened in downtown Briggs Building (a parking lot turned into classrooms)
Oct. 1998: Morgan Hill satellite site opened at Vineyard Center.
Jan. 2003: Morgan Hill satellite site moves to new downtown Community Center
2004: Voter approval of Measure E bond allocating $108 million for facilities
SOURCE: Kent Child, retired Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences
