{"id":184,"date":"2008-11-20T15:40:07","date_gmt":"2008-11-20T20:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/marketing\/?p=184"},"modified":"2008-11-20T15:40:07","modified_gmt":"2008-11-20T20:40:07","slug":"the-challenge-and-beyond-cuts-wont-deter-gcc-from-commitments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/2008\/11\/20\/the-challenge-and-beyond-cuts-wont-deter-gcc-from-commitments\/","title":{"rendered":"The challenge and beyond: Cuts won't deter GCC from commitments"},"content":{"rendered":"

Words from Robert L. Pura, PhD., President, Greenfield Community College<\/em><\/p>\n

As you know, Governor Deval Patrick was forced to make significant cuts to the Commonwealth's budget.\u00a0 Every indication is that this current economic downturn will have impact in the state for years to come.\u00a0 In this My-Turn I will communicate how GCC is responding to these difficult economic times.<\/p>\n

These are painful cuts.\u00a0 There is no getting around that fact.\u00a0 The numbers are powerful and should be viewed in the broader context.\u00a0 In 1978, 95% of our budget was state funded; today it is less than 50%.\u00a0 In 2001, our State budget was $9.1 million.\u00a0\u00a0 Our allocation at the beginning of this year was $9.2 million after the veto of $167,000.\u00a0 GCC's budget cut a few weeks ago (9C) was $461,082. Greenfield Community College's allocation for 2008, therefore, has been cut back to approximately the same allocation as 2001.\u00a0 This is not a one-year short-term issue; we will feel the impact over the next 3-4 years.\u00a0 The collective impact of this year's budget cuts, the current economy and projected revenues for 2010 require that we cut $1 million dollars for the coming year.\u00a0 As painful as these cuts are, we at GCC will deal with them, just as each of you are adjusting your personal and business budgets to this economy.<\/p>\n

Everyone is feeling the impact of the current economic environment.\u00a0 From higher education and health care to small businesses and our household finances\u2013 all budgets have been impacted by a national problem \u2013 a social as well as an economic crisis.\u00a0 We understand this reality and we will respond.\u00a0 Our college's Vision and Mission statement, and Principles of Education - ensuring our passionate commitment to access and excellence as well as to teaching and learning - will guide our decisions.\u00a0 As a result of this recent round of cuts we have decided not to fill positions that were in the queue, eliminate all non-essential travel, freeze equipment purchases, and reduce paper copy, ink cartridges, supplies and energy consumption.\u00a0\u00a0 We will cut an additional half million dollars by fall and in doing so, we will reduce the number of administrators on our campus.\u00a0 Each of those positions that go unfilled or vacated are needed positions, but they are just not affordable at this time.<\/p>\n

Our means are our goals in the making.\u00a0 How we respond to this economic environment and these cuts is as important as making the cuts themselves.\u00a0 My heart and soul have been lifted by the response of our students, faculty and staff.\u00a0 We have developed an e-suggestion box at GCC and it is already filled with innovative and thoughtful ideas; committee chairs have provided the leadership to move from paper to e-communication, faculty and staff are sacrificing professional development and travel, reducing copying and generating long lists of energy conservation strategies.\u00a0 The point being is that each have stepped up to the plate, understand the moment and in classic GCC manner they have come together as a community with courage, intelligence and great heart.<\/p>\n

What will we have learned?\u00a0 What will we have taught?\u00a0\u00a0 Please \"fast-forward\" for just a moment.\u00a0 Fast-forward to the moment when this economy rebounds and changes for the better are felt throughout the community. Let us all look back to today, to this moment in time and ask, \"what did we learn, what did we teach?\"\u00a0 What answers do you come up with?\u00a0 I believe that one of the primary lessons that will emerge from this difficult time will be our renewed understanding and commitment to collaborative models of doing business and creating community.\u00a0 Collaboration is another form of alternative, renewable, and sustainable energy and this moment provides the opportunity for even greater collaboration. The energy I speak of in that context is human energy.\u00a0 Collaborative human energy is an alternative that is both renewable and sustainable.<\/p>\n

GCC is needed now more than ever and we understand our responsibility.\u00a0 As the sole point of access to higher education in Franklin County we take seriously our responsibilities.\u00a0 For many, GCC is the first step toward a baccalaureate degree at colleges such as UMASS, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Westfield State, MCLA or Mass Art.\u00a0 As tuition increases at four-year colleges and universities, GCC is needed more than ever to provide an affordable alternative for those first critical years of higher education.\u00a0 Students also come to GCC in search of a meaningful career.\u00a0 And all too many of our neighbors come to GCC after the loss of their job, eager to retool and renew.\u00a0 Our professional programs have educated a great number of the region's nurses, childcare professionals, EMTs, police officers, firefighters, outdoor recreation leaders, and massage therapists.\u00a0 Those programs help to build the very infrastructure of our community.\u00a0 New programs in \"alternative and sustainable energy\" and in \"entrepreneurship\" are building bridges to the future.\u00a0\u00a0 GCC is a major vehicle for our regions economic recovery.<\/p>\n

At a time when the economic environment is so uncertain, the American Dream feels increasingly unachievable for far too many in our community.\u00a0 Affordable access to excellence in education provides that opportunity to achieve America's Dreams. As painful as these budget cuts are, we will not yield from our commitment to affordable access and we will never allow finances to undermine our commitment to quality.\u00a0 GCC is needed now more than ever and we will not take one step back from our commitment and responsibility to our students and this community.\u00a0 GCC is not just a college in this community; GCC is this community's college.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Words from Robert L. Pura, PhD., President, Greenfield Community College As you know, Governor Deval Patrick was forced to make significant cuts to the Commonwealth's budget.\u00a0 Every indication is that this current economic downturn will have impact in the state for years to come.\u00a0 In this My-Turn I will communicate how GCC is responding to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gcc.mass.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}