Chris Rumble's Portfolio

Portfolio 2008Chris Rumble

Markham ProjectPanther Design

Markham ProjectMural design and application.

Markham ProjectApplication of design to t-shirts for fundraising

Help support the students participating in the everglade exploration trip,and look good doing it!

NCCCF StationeryLogo update and stationery design.

Project completed under the Creative Direction of Bryan Miller at the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

College Seen PostcardGraphic update and layout.


Affinity MagazineGraphic design

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Affinity Magazine: What were your childhood hobbies?

Koi Suwannagate: Climbing trees, fishing, and making clothes for my dolls.

What kind of student were you?

I was never really strong academically, but I always did really well in the arts. I didn’t enjoy going to school until I studied decorative arts at the university level in Bangkok.

What was your family’s attitude toward college when you were growing up?

My family pretty much let me do what I wanted to do as long as I was making some progress.

Describe your experience at West Valley College (WVC).

Most of the people I met at WVC were very committed and serious about learning and doing the best job they could.

At what point did you decide to become a fashion designer?

I discovered my passion for designing during a class called Draping and Couture Embellishments at WVC. People loved my hand-sculpted t-shirt designs and encouraged me to start my own line. I discovered my talent during that class —it really jump-started my career as a fashion designer.

What inspires your designs?

Nature, art, and the contours of a woman’s body. When I design, it’s very spontaneous. I let my mind lead my hand to do what it wants to do.

When and where are you most creative and productive?

In my studio, when it’s quiet and I can focus on designing.

What are the most frustrating distractions to your creative process?

Dealing with the business aspect of running a fashion corporation can be a distraction…you not only have to be a great designer, but you have to make sure that the business is well taken care of.

What kind of an impact has being a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award had on your career?

The nomination has been extremely helpful for my career! It has offered me the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people in the fashion industry. It has truly encouraged me to take my collection to the next level. With the support of Bumble and Bumble and Shiseido, I staged my first runway show during New York Fashion Week in February, which was a dream come true.

How do you handle the pressure of being in an industry where criticism is part of everyday life?

With the recent press attention and increased brand recognition it’s just natural that people talk more about my collection now. There are always going to be people who dislike or criticize my work, but I can’t take it personally. Not everyone is going to love what I do, but you have to do what you love in order to stand out and create a unique brand.

What career ccomplishment(s) are you most proud of?

Launching my own clothing line; being recognized and nominated as a finalist by the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund; staging my first runway show; and ultimately, having been able to turn my passion into my career.

Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

I would love to open flagship stores in major fashion capitals—Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Tokyo…

How are you incorporating the green movement into your work?

I have been working with vintage cashmere since day one. In fact, it has become my signature. For Summer 2008, I worked with organic cotton for the first time and designed a limited selection of beautiful summer dresses made of sustainable fabrics. I am currently exploring natural dyes and will incorporate additional sustainable fabrics such as organic silk into the next collection.

If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you be doing for a living?

I’d probably be a landscape architect or gardener. I love flowers!

In 2001, fashion designer Koi Suwannagate debuted her first collection of hand-crafted vintage cashmere pieces to great acclaim, and she has been a fixture on the fashion scene ever since. The Los Angeles-based, Thai-born Suwannagate is recognized for designs that combine genteel, fairy tale-like femininity with sculptural precision. In addition to being featured in the pages of such fashion mainstays as Vogue, W, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, Suwannagate is worn by celebrity trendsetters including Gwyneth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Natalie Portman.

In 2007, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and Vogue chose the designer as a finalist for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award, the fashion industry’s top honor for emerging designers. Educated at Bangkok’s Silapakorn University and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Suwannagate also attended West Valley College, where she says she “discovered her talent.”

WEST VALLEY COLLEGE Suwannagate

Alumni Profile

Images courtesy of Koi Suwannagate

To read more about Koi Suwannagate, visit www.affinityonline.org.

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Alumni Profile

Marv Harshman, then head coach at the University of Washington, came to watch that player because Washington needed a point guard. He just happened to get there early and saw my game. He liked what he saw, so he didn’t stay for the next game.” On the following Monday, Romar had an invitation to visit Washington. Although he had improved enough to garner other offers to play college ball, Romar knew the opportunity to play for Marv Harshman was one he couldn’t pass up, thinking, “I have the chance to play for a legend.”

At Washington, Romar was a two-year starter. He was voted Most Inspirational Player by his peers both years and served as team captain his senior year. As the end of his Washington career approached, people asked what he’d be doing next. As Romar puts it, “They were sure I wouldn’t be playing professional basketball, but I didn’t see it any other way.” In 1980, the NBA Draft consisted of 10 rounds. Today there are just two. Recalling the experience, Romar said, “Thank goodness there were 10.” The Golden State Warriors picked Romar in the seventh round, 141st pick overall.

A Dream Come True

When asked what it was like to play in the NBA, Romar is emphatic, “It was a dream come true. I was living out a fantasy. In 8th grade, I remember showing my teachers basketball cards of my favorite players—Nate Archibald and Calvin Murphy—and here I am playing against them. Wow! I can’t tell you how many times that happened throughout my career…playing against my childhood heroes. I was playing against the best competition in the world and getting paid to do it. There wasn’t a downside.”

Romar played with the Warriors from 1981–84; with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1984; and for a total of three weeks with the Detroit Pistons in 1985. Following his NBA career, Romar joined Athletes in Action (AIA) the athletic division of Campus Crusade for Christ, and started in 224 of 233 games during his seven-year stint. In 1989, Romar took on coaching duties with AIA, and by 1992, he was a top recruiter and assistant coach at UCLA. Romar’s first head coaching job was at Pepperdine University, his second at Saint Louis University. At both Pepperdine and Saint Louis, Romar was instrumental in reviving programs that had been struggling.

In 2002, Lorenzo Romar returned to the University of Washington as head coach and led the team to the NCAA Tournament for four consecutive years (2003–07). Romar attributes his success as a coach to “building relationships and trust” and believes in being firm but fair. Paul Fortier, Romar’s assistant coach at Washington echoes the sentiment, saying “Players give him their all because they don’t want to let him down.” Romar’s life-long love of basketball was recognized in 2006 when he was given the John Wooden Keys to Life Award. When asked what he considers his greatest professional achievement, Romar mentions the award, but is quick to point out that after all these years, he’s still “living the dream.”

Lorenzo Romar, a former NBA point guard now in his seventh season as head coach for the University of Washington’s men’s basketball team, has been passionate about basketball since he first picked up a ball, chucked it at a hoop, and made a basket on his elementary school playground at age 10. Romar’s love for the game didn’t always translate into success as a player, but his passion, drive, and determination have kept him in the game.

Lorenzo Romar playing for the Golden State Warriors in the 1980s.

Career Day

During sixth grade Career Day, Lorenzo Romar announced that he wanted to be a professional basketball player when he grew up. The class had a good laugh and Romar laughed too, knowing that despite how much he loved the game, the odds of making it to the NBA were slim to none. Romar recalls his 1960s childhood in Compton, Calif., with fondness, noting that once he started playing basketball, he “became addicted” and spent every waking moment playing, watching, and studying the game. Basketball even motivated Romar and his kid brother to keep out of trouble. “There was a fear in our household that if we were caught doing something we had no business doing, we would pay dearly,” Romar remembers, “I loved sports so much I didn’t do anything that would interfere.”

So, Romar behaved, and he played on school teams until his sophomore year in high school, when the competition intensified. In a matter of days, he was cut twice—from the varsity team one day and junior varsity the next. Undeterred, Romar practiced diligently and improved, so when his senior year rolled around he was on back on the team and eventually came off the bench. With the end of high school approaching, Romar knew that going to a four-year college was out of the question—his parents couldn’t afford

tuition, his grades were marginal at best, and he wasn’t nearly a good enough basketball player to earn a scholarship. At a loss for what to do next, Romar tried walking on to a few community college teams, but as he puts it, “there was no interest.” Compton College said no, and a few others passed before Romar was given a chance at Cerritos College.

Grateful his passion had finally translated into some game time, Romar played his first semester at Cerritos, and was feeling pretty good about himself…until the second semester when his grades deemed him ineligible to play. At a crossroads, Romar knew that, despite the support and encouragement from his parents and coaches, it was in his hands to make things happen. Romar recalls, “I just realized that I loved basketball so much, the only way I was going to get to play was if I went to class. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do the work, I just had to change my attitude.”

Right Place, Wrong Time

Nearing the end of his career as a point guard at Cerritos, it was a happy accident that set the rest of his career in motion. Romar remembers, “We were playing in a state tournament and our game was at 6:30 pm on a Friday. The game after ours featured the number one point guard in the state.

Romar CERRITOS COLLEGE

I just realized that I loved basketball so much, the only way I was going to get to play was if I went to class. It wasn’t that I couldn’t do the

work, I just had to change my attitude.

To read more about Lorenzo Romar, visit www.affinityonline.org.

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Images courtesy of Washington State University and the Golden State Warriors


*Cover art by Kent Lacin*Cover layout by Bryan Miller

Affinity MagazineGraphic design

Green Collar 101 Green collar jobs create opportunities. They require less than a bachelor’s degree, provide a living wage, benefits, and opportunities for career advancement, and many include manual labor. Energy, alternative fuels, green building, alternative transportation, and agriculture are the major green industries poised for growth. New jobs in these industries look a lot like traditional jobs, but are updated with new green technology, equipment, and standards.

In 2007, Congress passed the Green Jobs Act, which earmarked $125 million in federal funds to train 35,000 green collar workers each year. Of that, $25 million will train those from low-income communities and $80 million will help transition workers into green industries. California has aimed even higher with its Global Warming Solutions Act, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 25% by 2020.

To that end, California’s green companies are on the hunt for qualified employees, and many have turned to community colleges, the traditional educator of California’s skilled workforce. Community colleges are responding with training programs and

industry partnerships that provide a way for low-income individuals to earn a living wage while pursuing an education and supporting a family.

With a little extra training, people like Sisk are the perfect candidates for emerging green collar jobs. Researchers estimate that green industries could create up to 3 million jobs nationwide over the next 10 years. Not only will jobs crop up in new industries, but traditional industries are going green and looking for new workers, especially as baby boomers approach retirement.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), California’s largest natural gas and electric utility, is one company seeing green. Van Ton-Quinlivan, PG&E’s director of workforce strategy and diversity, says that 42% of the company’s 20,000-person workforce will be eligible for retirement in the next five to ten years. The sheer volume of employee turnover is prompting the company to ramp up its training and recruitment efforts, and to adjust its current training practices to meet the needs of the changing industry.

“Take mechanics,” said Ton-Quinlivan. “Because we have one of the largest fleets in the nation of natural gas vehicles, we need mechanics that are trained in natural gas technology. That mechanic won’t stop being a traditional mechanic, but will have additional skills that meet the demand.”

Green building is also expanding quickly. Since 2000, maximizing energy efficiency and using sustainable materials in building has increased in popularity, sparking the need for a more specifically trained workforce. But it’s not just builders that need a green-trained construction workforce. Borrego Solar, a solar electric contractor based in San Diego, prefers candidates with construction experience. The company increased its workforce by over 10% in the first half of this year

alone. “Our industry is one of the few that needs construction professionals, and that demand is actually growing,” said Mike Hall, Borrego Solar’s president.

Educating the Workforce Community colleges have been among the first to embrace green collar job training, and have been able to do so thanks to established industry-specific apprenticeship programs and talented faculty. Community college instructors are often active in professional organizations and stay up to date with industry innovation, making them able to adjust curriculum so students learn what employers need them to know. That has been the case at Los Rios Community College District in Sacramento.

“It’s part of the professional responsibility of a faculty member to update the curriculum and to be alive to the possibilities of change,” said Bill Karns, the district’s vice chancellor for Education and Technology. “The green revolution has provided many of our faculty a whole new area of exploration that has had a very powerful impact on their thinking and on their interest in recreating their curriculum or creating new curriculum.”

New challenges have arisen with the new training needs. Although many companies see green as a major part of the future, potential students are generally unaware of the opportunities that going green brings. WhoDoUWant2B? is a new initiative sponsored by the California Community Colleges System Office that is bringing those opportunities to the foreground. Aimed at high school students who are undecided about their futures, the initiative offers information on community college career and technical education programs, including green construction and automotive technology. The System Office is also establishing faculty development programs to prepare instructors for the new material.

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Community Colleges take the lead intraining the first generation ofgreen collar workers.

Nearly 20 years in the military and 10 years in residential construction had taken a toll on Lyle Sisk’s body. Hoping to ease the burden of such back breaking work, Sisk took a job at a commercial construction firm. The relief was short lived. He was laid off after only one year. So, at age 56, Sisk joined the 8.5 million unemployed individuals in the United States. As Sisk sat in his local Employment Development Department office, he was intrigued by a poster advertising a training program for energy auditors, hazardous materials technicians, solar panel installers, and environmental auditors. Thanks to that poster, less than six months after being laid off, Sisk became certified for jobs in the solar and environmental industries. Lyle Sisk has gone green.

By Angeline Huang Evans

“It’s part of the professional responsibility of a faculty member to update the curriculum and

to be alive to the possibilities of change.”

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Photos courtesy of Butte College, Ohlone College, and Mario Villegas of East Los Angeles College

Progress Report While green collar jobs are relatively new, community colleges are already expanding and adding . This month, the first Green California Community College Summit brings together education, government, and industry decision makers to focus on the green economy. Because green collar jobs are similar to existing jobs, training can be done by tweaking the current curriculum. American River College in Sacramento, for example, is adding a sustainable design course to its interior design program.

For PG&E’s Power Pathway program, offered at four San Francisco Bay Area community colleges, there is no shortage of qualified faculty. Matt Hansen, a PG&E supervisor, teaches the program’s applied technology and math courses at College of San Mateo. He has nearly 25 years of experience as a journeyman electric lineman and two years of experience as a community college instructor. When the program was first piloted in early 2008, more than 4,700 applications were received for 100 spots. While PG&E still requires graduates to go through the company’s rigorous exam and selection process, the program’s curriculum and skills are just as relevant in similar industries.

In June, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College became the eighth California Community College to receive certification from the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners for their entry-level solar installation program. William Elarton, chair of the school’s Construction, Design, and Manufacturing department, says that their electrician program has been teaching solar electric energy for years, but could not afford training equipment for a dedicated solar program. A recent district bond measure changed that, providing funds for a roof-top solar panel on one of the campus’s parking structures that will double as a training lab for students. According to Elarton, the program fills a great need.

Community college training programs are as diverse as the communities in which they are located. While some colleges have focused on solar, others have stepped it up in thermal energy, alternative fuel, or green construction.

“All of the community colleges are interested and committed to providing training and education programs related to green technology,” said José Millan, vice chancellor for Economic Development and Workforce Preparation at the System Office. “Some are more advanced than others, some are more specialized than others. The hallmark of our system is its diversity—the fact that you have some level of experience and expertise at every one of the 110 colleges.”

Southern California Edison sees more potential in community colleges than just training entry-level workers. Its Powerline programs at Rio Hondo and El Camino community colleges include introductory courses for those breaking into the industry, as well as courses for current employees to continue building their skills.

Other colleges have taken on more of a facilitator role. Merritt College’s partnership with the Regional Technical Training Center (RTTC) trains and certifies environmental engineering technicians. Merritt College developed the classroom curriculum, and RTTC takes care of the hands-on training, job placement assistance, and follow up. Nearby, Contra Costa College developed curriculum for the City of Richmond’s Richmond Builds program, a 10-week solar installation and construction training program for adults with little or no work experience. Over 90% of

their graduates have gone on to local union apprenticeships, solar installation positions, or prevailing-wage jobs.

Next Class Community colleges face new challenges in training the upcoming green collar workforce, but progress continues to be seen. Recalling a recent visit to Merritt College, Borrego Solar’s Mike Hall sees high potential in community colleges.

“They were doing some really good technical training on how to analyze the impact of shading on a solar array,” Hall said. “I’d never seen that done in a classroom outside our company before. That was really eye-opening for me and made me see that the community colleges really are getting it and starting to train people in some of the specific on-the-job technical knowledge they would need to be successful in our industry.”

Sisk, who graduated from the program at Merritt College in June, agrees that community colleges should be the ones to step up to the plate. Less than a month after graduation, nearly a third of the program’s graduates are already employed as solar panel installers or environmental engineering technicians, making anywhere from $18–$26 an hour. Sisk, just two months after graduation, is now installing photovoltaic panels for SunPower Corporation and couldn’t be happier.

“I’ve always been interested in solar panels and now I know how the whole system works and the interface components,” he said. “If every house had them, we wouldn’t have an energy problem.”

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RENEWING CALIFORNIA’S ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE

As Southern California continues to grow at a strong pace, it relies on an electric utility that grows with it. Southern Califor-nia Edison (SCE) is proud to be that part-ner. SCE currently operates more than 110,000 miles of cable and circuitry, delivering electricity to 4.8 million homes and businesses. Keeping pace with business and residential growth and ensuring future service reliability, SCE has undertaken a major infrastructure devel-opment project–investing more than $15 billion in the coming years. Carefully planned development of the region’s essential distribution and transmission grids is making the power grid greener and smarter for more than 13 million Southern Californians. The enhancements underway will increase delivery capacity and system reliability while helping to tap new renewable energy resources.

A prime example is the historic Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project, the nation’s largest transmission system designed speci�cally to facilitate new renewable energy sources. When com-pleted in 2009, the system will be capable of delivering enough power to serve almost three million households.

In addition to developing transmission capacity, SCE is enhancing community distribution systems. Long a leader in emerging technologies that promise greater reliability, SCE is currently install-ing pioneering technology to enable enhanced, automated monitoring of grid conditions and minimize power failures.

SCE is committed to the growth and prosperity of Southern California and is a proud partner in the creation of a reliable and responsible energy future.

“All of the community colleges are interested and committed

to providing training and education programs related to

green technology.”

Much of the impact that humans have on their surrounding environment comes from the built environment. Buildings account for 39% of the United States’ carbon emissions. Developing ways to make buildings greener will go a long way in cutting environmental impact. Energy-efficient building practices are growing in popularity, especially in education. California’s Community Colleges, which cover over 60 million square feet of buildings and facilities, have made national headlines with their campus greening efforts. Here are three examples of community colleges that are reducing their impact on the environment.

A GREEN VIEW

To read more about the California Community Colleges going green, visit www.affinityonline.org.

Tucked away in California’s Central Valley, Butte College has emerged as a national leader in environmental friendliness, this year winning the National Wildlife Federation’s Chill Out: Campus Solutions to Global Warming competition. Over the past five years, Butte College has decreased its electricity and natural gas usage by 33% by installing one of the largest solar arrays in the nation and implementing an extensive transportation system that keeps 1,000 cars off the road each day. The college expects to be completely carbon neutral by 2015.

Butte College, Oroville

Ohlone College, FremontIn the green-technology hotbed of the San Francisco Bay Area, Ohlone College has designed and built an entire green campus to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum standards, the highest LEED rating. The Newark campus opened in January 2008. The 135,000-square-foot facility boasts 1,500 photovoltaic panels on its roof, which are expected to provide over 40% of the facility’s energy needs. Other measures, such as a geothermal heating and enthalpy wheels, will reduce dependence on fossil fuels and save energy and water. Landscaping is limited to drought-resistant native plants and building insulation contains mainly recycled blue jeans.

Los Angeles Community College District, Los AngelesThe Los Angeles Community College District, with over 100,000 students on nine campuses, is the nation’s largest community college district. The district is in the process of installing solar panel systems at each of its campuses. The solar arrays will initially be capable of generating at least one megawatt of electricity per campus; each megawatt can power 1,000 homes. The district is also adopting energy efficient practices across the board, from light bulbs to water pumps.

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Affinity MagazineIllustration


May 6, 2008, seemed like a fairly typical day at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Legislators and lobbyists, chatting on cell phones, navigated the marble-floored halls on their way to meetings, staffers and interns in business suits held impromptu discussions in the historic Rotunda, and busloads of schoolchildren, accompanied by teachers and chaperones, hoping for a glimpse of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, paraded through the building on school field trips. For the California Community Colleges, however, May 6, 2008 was a remarkable day.

A Remarkable Day Indeed With Governor Schwarzenegger standing directly to her right and community college students representing many walks of life as a backdrop, California Community Colleges Chancellor Diane Woodruff announced during a live press conference in the Governor’s Office the single largest gift ever made to a community college system: a $70 million commitment from The Bernard Osher Foundation to support California Community College students.

Woodruff went on to explain the basics of the commitment: $25 million was provided upfront to establish the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment and launch a three- year matching fundraising campaign.

The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC), in conjunction with the California Community Colleges, is tasked with raising $50 million over the next three years,

which will, based on the matching agreement, guarantee another $25 million from the Osher Foundation. The end result will be a $100 million permanent endowment that will provide scholarships for generations to come.

In addition, Osher also pledged $20 million to support endowed scholarship programs at the California State University (CSU) and University of California (UC) campuses that do not currently have Osher scholarship programs in place. The scholarships will be designated for students transferring from community colleges to CSU or UC campuses.

Beginning in 2009, Endowment scholarships of at least $1,000 per academic year will help financially strained students offset the cost of attending college, making it possible for them to stay in school by providing money for textbooks, equipment, uniforms, and other instructional supplies. Scholarships will be distributed among all 110 California Community

The California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment

Inspired by the Osher Foundation’s gift to the California Community Colleges, Affinity’s graphic designer, Chris Rumble, who is also a student at American River College, drew this sketch as an illustration of the magazine’s cover concept.

By Daniele Hagen

GiftCollege History

Community

Looking Inside the

Largestin

Bernard Osher recognized by Governor Schwarzeneggeron May 6, 2008

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Colleges based on enrollment, and will go to a minimum of five students per college. Students with financial need who have demonstrated success and dedication in their coursework are ideal candidates for the scholarships and will be given preference. To be eligible, students must have completed 24 units of degree-applicable study, be enrolled in at least six units, and qualify for the Board of Governors fee waiver. The fee waiver takes care of enrollment fees based on demonstrated financial need, but does not cover tuition. Scholarship recipients will be designated “Osher Scholars.” During the first year, at least

1,250 students will receive scholarships totaling at least $1.25 million. By 2011, when the Endowment reaches its $100 million goal, more than 5,000 students will be awarded scholarships annually.

“We are all overjoyed about this historic and unprecedented gift to the California Community Colleges,” said Woodruff. “The Osher scholarships will provide much needed financial support to many of our students, who may not otherwise be able to complete their studies.”

Schwarzenegger, himself a California Community College alumnus, echoed Woodruff’s sentiment saying, “This historic gift…will help thousands of our state’s community college students succeed each year. I know firsthand the incredible value of community colleges from my time at Santa Monica College. They serve a vital role in preparing our workforce, and this gift will provide innumerable benefits to our state’s economy and diverse communities.”

The Quiet Philanthropist Bernard Osher, who generally eschews public recognition, declined to speak at the press conference announcing his unprecedented gift. He grew up in Biddeford, Maine, and graduated from Bowdoin College before embarking on a successful career in business. Getting his start managing his family’s hardware and plumbing supplies store, Osher went on to learn the inner workings of Wall Street brokerage by taking an unpaid job at Oppenheimer & Company in New York. In 1963, with members of his family, Osher purchased Golden West Financial which, under his leadership, became the nation’s third largest savings and loan company. Golden West Financial was the parent company of World Savings Bank, the second largest savings institution in the United States, which merged with Wachovia Corporation in 2006.

When asked how his upbringing and educational experience influenced his desire to support higher education, Osher said, “I am the son of immigrants who never had the opportunity to pursue higher education but worked hard to ensure that their children did. I always knew that education was something that could never be taken away from you— that it gave you the chance to realize your potential, gain self-confidence, learn about the world in which we live, and earn a satisfactory living. I have been fortunate in my life and I am interested in helping others gain the respect for learning and education.”

Bernard Osher and his wife Barbro, a native of Sweden, established The Bernard Osher Foundation in San Francisco in 1977 with the mission to improve quality of life through support for higher education and the arts. The Foundation provides postsecondary scholarship funding to colleges and universities across the nation, with special attention to re-entry students. It also benefits programs in integrative medicine in the United States and Sweden and supports 119 Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, a growing national learning network for seasoned adults. In addition, the Foundation provides grants to an array of performing arts organizations, museums, and selected educational programs in Northern California and in Mr. Osher’s native state of Maine. The Foundation’s lead gift to the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment is its most significant commitment to date.

The decision to make such a significant commitment required a great deal of research and investigation, and the information Osher gathered had quite an impact on him. “I was impressed with the sheer size of the system—serving 2.6 million people on an annual basis, and with the range and importance of its educational offerings. As my education about the value of our community colleges was increasing, I read about the ever-growing financial challenges facing the system and its students,” Osher said.

A permanent fund, the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment will be invested and will grow. In order to benefit as many students as possible, the payout on the Endowment will be calculated to ensure that at least 50% of the investment earnings will be released to support student scholarships. Professionally managed, the Endowment’s impact and the number of scholarships available will only grow over time. Once the Endowment is fully funded, it is expected that more than 5,000 scholarships will be awarded annually, and that number will continue to grow each year in perpetuity, maximizing access to education for thousands of motivated and talented Californians. In addition to making a difference in the lives of scholarship recipients, the Endowment makes sense for California. Consider the following:

Students receiving a degree or certificate from a community college see an 86% increase in their wages from $25,600 to $45,571 three years after earning their degree.

For every dollar spent on economic and workforce development programs at community colleges, there is a $12 increase in California’s business income and employee wages.

For every dollar California invests to get students in and through college, the state’s economy receives a $3 net return on investment.

A 2% increase in the share of the population with an associate’s degree, combined with a 1% increase in the share with a bachelor’s degree, results in $20 billion of additional economic input, $1.2 billion more in state and local tax revenues annually, and 174,000 new jobs.

Inspiring Others to Contribute Osher is hopeful that his investment will inspire others to contribute by bringing to light the value of the system, saying, “It is my hope that our commitment to California’s community college students will hearten other major donors and charitable foundations to invest as well. More than any other institutions of higher education, the community colleges provide first-instance opportunities for advancement to the most diverse and financially needy of our people and truly are the great enfranchisers of our citizenry.” Representing a true cross section of the state, over 60% of California Community College students come from ethnically diverse backgrounds.

FCCC President and CEO Paul I. Lanning, Ed. D, couldn’t agree more, saying, “California’s community colleges haven’t been at the table when it comes to philanthropy. To me, the Osher gift changes things for community colleges nationwide: it tells the public that community colleges want and need support.” Despite the fact that Americans donate billions of dollars to higher education annually, only 2% goes to community colleges. That, on top of the fact that many community college students work full-time while attending and still have unmet financial need after all other aid is factored in, only underscores the impact the Osher gift will have on the future of California Community Colleges and the millions of students they serve. While the system educates two-thirds of all California undergraduates, it still receives a lesser percentage of state funding in proportion to the number of students served.

Mary Bitterman, president of the Bernard Osher Foundation, acknowledged the imbalance that is present in giving to higher education, “The Foundation has given millions to universities over the past few years, but it just recently became clear that community colleges needed significantly more financial help. The more we have focused on the needs of California, we have really begun to look at the critical role community

colleges play,” she said. “What you read about is David Rockefeller giving $100 million to Harvard. Our trustees decided that we would really like to help community college students.” To keep things in perspective, consider this: Harvard’s endowment is nearly $35 billion; the university serves roughly 20,000 students per year, and boasts more than 270,000 living alumni. City College of San Francisco, the largest of the California Community Colleges, alone serves 100,000 students a year.

As for the students who will benefit from his generosity, Osher recognizes that they represent great potential to carry on his legacy saying, “I hope the people who receive our scholarships will, in turn, assist others in whatever manner they are able—whether through tutoring and mentoring, community service, or even helping to fund additional scholarships.”

Focus, Focus, Focus Bernard Osher’s interests reach beyond his philanthropic work. An ardent fly fisherman and lover of American art, he is also a serious student of opera. However, when, over the course of a day at his Foundation, talk of potential investments and current projects evolves into a discussion about opera, Osher is quick to redirect the conversation, telling Bitterman, “We need to focus, focus, focus.” That intense focus has resulted in a history-making commitment to California Community Colleges.

When asked what keeps him motivated to stay so focused, Osher said, “There is nothing more satisfying than helping others to realize their potential and celebrate their dreams.”

“It is my hope that our commitment to California’s community college students will hearten other major donors and charitable foundations to invest in our community colleges as well.”

To learn more about or make a gift to the California Community Colleges Scholarship Endowment, visit www.affinityonline.org.

Governor Schwarzenegger and Chancellor Woodruff

Images courtesy of Sharpe Photographers, Inc.

A�nity

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What will the Endowment look like in the future?

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