Bill Hawkins, President

As we approach the successful completion of our IMPACT Campaign, the Foundation Board of Directors is already looking ahead to the enormous opportunities we will be addressing in the next three to five years. First and foremost, we welcome our new PCC President, Erika Endrijonas, PhD and we look forward to working with her, the administration and faculty in supporting the goals of the college. To that end, the Foundation’s Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Dr. Jim Kossler is gathering input from the college and our board in order to establish our strategic initiatives going forward.

Today, there are numerous studies that document the needs of college students that are beyond the boundaries of tuition affordability and scholarships. The basic needs of students that address housing and food insecurity have become essential campus initiatives everywhere. (Shout out to our Lancer Pantry!)

As private donations and state programs provide more funding for student tuition, the Foundation will begin focusing on how to address student needs such as food and housing insecurities. A recent report, the California Community Colleges #RealCollegeSurvey reports a statistically significant relationship with housing and food insecurities and student academic success and completion rates. As the insecurities rise, student success rates decline!

The PCC Foundation is committed to addressing the basic life needs of our students. With your continued support, we believe we can make a real difference in our students’ quality of life and further ensure their academic success.