Greetings!

Greetings! 

The Board of Directors and staff of the Las Positas College Foundation wish all our friends and supporters a very Happy New Year.

This is our first LPC Foundation Newsletter of 2013, and, as always, this quarterly update is designed to keep you - the members of our regional and campus communities - informed about key issues. Las Positas is YOUR college and you are vital to its success.

LPC serves the entire Tri-Valley region from its campus in Livermore. The College educates students for transfer to four-year universities and colleges and for technical and vocational careers, while also offering lifelong learning opportunities for continuing education.

The Las Positas College Foundation works to further those goals by developing resources that support the College and, equally important, by informing the regional community about the College by promoting its opportunities, resources, and benefits.

Sarah Kellner

Sarah Kellner is a woman on the move. She is a 21 year old, second year student at Las Positas College who is talented, has already accomplished much and is driven to be even more successful. As recipient of a $1000 Barbara Fracisco Mertes Perpetual Scholarship, she will be even better equipped to do so.

Sarah started at LPC in the Spring semester, 2010. She was already well on her way to meeting two of the goals that she set for herself after graduating from high school a year earlier: She had joined a band and started her own photography business. Now, just two years later, her cover band Xpress is a hit and her photography business is booming.

Shortly after starting at Las Positas, Sarah discovered another passion in her life. She took a Speech class from Instructor Tim Hiesler and soon joined the Speech and Debate team where she flourished with distinction. As Sarah has said, Public Speaking has "hijacked my social life, and forced me to time manage. ...It is something that you start at, and can't stop until it is perfect, and even then it still needs to be better. I am constantly setting goals and raising the bar for myself...."

Dr. Barbara Mertes was the first leader of LPC when it was founded in 1975 as the "Valley Campus" of Chabot College before becoming a stand-alone institution in 1988. She has had a long and distinguished career at the College and its parent, the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. After having served as an Instructor and Administrator, Dr. Mertes began the current phase of her support for our community's college when, in 2000, she becoming a Trustee of the District. Last November she ran unopposed for another four year term to continue that service.

The Barbara Fracisco Mertes Perpetual Scholarship was endowed by Barbara's husband, Dr. David Mertes in 2010 as a gift to her and to future outstanding Speech and Debate students at LPC such as Sarah Kellner.

Sarah plans to transfer to a California State College campus in the fall; Barbara is continuing her work on behalf of the students in the region. Each of these two women, in their own way, represents the best of what is happening at Las Positas College.

Since our last newsletter, California voters passed Proposition 30, which is critical to higher education in these times of deep budget cuts. However, while passage of this proposition has helped to mitigate further planned cutbacks, Prop 30 alone is insufficient to restore the funding the students have lost over the past few years. As a result, the lives and educations of students at Las Positas College continue to be negatively impacted by Sacramento budget cuts.

While we are grateful for the passage of the proposition and thank everyone who voted for it, our College offerings remain well below what our students require. Nearly 350 core class sections needed for graduation have been eliminated over the past three years. Hundreds of students are unable to register for core English, Mathematics, and Science classes. This can severely delay their matriculation into four-year colleges and the earning of vocational degrees.

One of the steps that the LPC Foundation is taking to help restore key courses that were cut is Foundation 55, a new program that is explained below. Please keep reading to see how you can help us make a difference in the lives of students at Las Positas College.

Over the past several years, Las Positas College students have been frustrated in achieving their academic goals of transfer to four-year institutions or completion of a terminal vocational certificate. Essential classes required for graduation have had to be cut from the LPC course offerings because of severe funding cutbacks in the California state budget. This is a significant problem since almost 350 course sections have been eliminated at the College over the past three years. The Foundation 55 Program is designed to help address this problem.

For every $5500 raised as part of the Foundation 55 Program, one of the sections cut from the class schedule at the College will be restored for a full semester. Each of those added courses will have a direct positive impact on the ability of students to complete their educations at Las Positas College. Businesses and individuals who invest in the Foundation 55 Program will have that direct impact on the lives of up to 40 students for an entire semester. While the program has already successfully funded a handful of classes thanks to generous supporters, hundreds more students are hoping to have more classes restored.

While you can personally make a significant difference by writing a check for $5500, we recognize that not everyone can invest in our students at that level. So we encourage creativity! Some individuals supporting the program have gathered several friends to pool their funds to reach $5500; others have requested funds from their employers' foundations. Talking about the program with associates and friends can also trigger interest and generate funds for this important program. We never know who may find it in their hearts to change the lives of 40 students. Of course, the LPC Foundation also will aggregate smaller investments in our students to help restore much needed classes at our community's college.

Please feel free to contact the Foundation to discuss ideas and for more information about the Foundation 55 Program.