In his annual State of the City address, Mayor Bob Foster outlined his vision for a local economic recovery. Pointing out that training alone cannot get us out of the recession, the Mayor stressed the importance of job creation. Two typical paths toward job creation involve attracting new businesses to the City and helping local entrepreneurs start their own business.
Regardless of the path chosen, Long Beach’s institutions of higher education play an instrumental role. In his speech, the Mayor specifically cited Long Beach’s “higher learning institutions” as one of a handful of reasons that make Long Beach “a very special opportunity for growing companies”. In order to attract new businesses, Long Beach must be able to offer an educated, skilled workforce to prospective employers. California State University Long Beach and Long Beach City College not only meet this need, they continue to exceed it, bringing hard-earned recognition to our city in the process.
Just yesterday, for instance, Long Beach State was named one of the nation’s “Best Value” public colleges for 2010 by The Princeton Review. Although this is not the first time Long Beach State has received this honor, it is no small feat. Out of the hundreds of public colleges across the country and throughout the state, Long Beach State was the only CSU school to make the list. The other six colleges selected from California were all UC campuses. In a statement released by the university, CSULB President F. King Alexander said, “We are very pleased to once again be ranked among the top 50 best public university values in the nation. This ranking also indicates to taxpayers, consumers, students and parents that the high price tag associated with many colleges and universities nationwide has nothing to do with the quality of education experience being offered.”
On Monday, President Eloy O. Oakley traveled to Sacramento to accept the 2009 California Community College Student Success Award on behalf of the College. During his State of the College speech last week, President Oakley welcomed the recognition as a testament to the College’s recent initiatives to improve student access and success and attributed the award to, “the tremendous work of the faculty and staff.” But in addition to educating students and equipping them with skills, Long Beach City College plays a more direct role in the region’s economic development. As the lead Small Business Development Center for the Los Angeles area, the College administers programs aimed at helping small businesses create jobs. Each day, Long Beach City College is at the center of strengthening the local economies throughout Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
If there is a silver lining, a glimmer of hope and a reason to be optimistic about Long Beach’s economic recovery, it is because of Long Beach’s higher education institutions, which continue to play a key role in lifting and moving our local economy forward. So, the next time you think about Long Beach State and Long Beach City College, I hope you will look past the buildings and see the future that is being created inside.
Not too long ago, California proudly shone as the Golden State. Those were they days when higher education was prominently recognized and adequately funded. If California is to shine once again, our leaders must put the spotlight back on higher education.