It's a Small, Small World!
Kristin M. Hollabaugh, Ph.D.
Provost, COS Hanford
Over the last couple of weeks, I have been constantly reminded of the theme from that popular ride in Disneyland--It's a Small World. Originally created in 1964 for the New York World's Fair--the project joined The Ford Motor Co., General Electric, Disney, UNICEF, and Pepsi. In 1966, the ride opened in Disneyland and was sponsored by Bank of America. A big team of partners, for sure!
Now, you are probably asking what led to this continued theme? The answer: a combination of things. First, you may remember a few weeks ago I wrote an article on The Lorax -- and Speak for Community Colleges. The power of the internet and email continue to amaze me, as I have heard from people all over the State--certainly, It's a Small World. It's funny, when I was working on my dissertation on "community college finance" this topic was not nearly controversial or concerning. In fact, those three simple words put people to sleep instantaneously. Today, in two weeks--I have new contacts because the world is so small and the topic is so emotionally charged.
Second, and, on that same note, I have given a lot of thought about what differentiates community colleges--the "why" of who we are. You see, I'm currently about 3/4 of the way through John Jantsch's Duct Tape Marketing. (If you haven't read it....it's worth it!) You can probably imagine the the ties to duct tape--strategies that are relatively inexpensive, have lots of uses, extremely sticky -- strong and flexible--and speak to many in a small (which is really big) world.
The theme of continued as I pondered. Original project: big team of partners! Last two weeks: Power of email sharing and internet. Marketing: a world which is actually larger than we even know.
Here's some other facts: It's A Small World has a phenomenal "people eater" function which can get more voyagers through the ride than most other rides. Guest research at Disneyland has found that one in four Disneyland guests consider the ride "a tradition." The ride showcases all types of people who are joining together for a common goal.
Now it doesn't take long to make even more connections to California Community Colleges: efficient and effective education; a tradition of getting students job or transfer ready; and serving students from every socioeconomic and cultural background.
No article would be complete without a tribute to the song:
It's a world of laughter
A world of tears;
It's a world of hopes
And a world of fears.
There's so much that we share
That it's time we're aware
Is.....a small world after all....it's a small world after all...
As you go through the rest of the day with that song stuck in your head, please remember the impact community colleges has had on your family, friends, employees...or on your community!
Hanford, thank you for believing in COS and passing Measure C!