Recently, Bakersfield College was made the recipient of an amazing act of kindness. The gift of nearly $14 million by philanthropist Dr. Norman Levan will add $500,000 worth of scholarships each year for 250 students, more than doubling the amount of money available to BC students through locally-funded scholarships each year.
While 250 new student scholarships each year is an undeniably magnanimous gesture for those students, there is a feeling among some on campus that the rest of the over 18,000 students attending BC will see little to no effect from the largest gift to a community college in history as the college continues to face the challenges of ever-deepening cuts in state and local budgets.
No doubt, giving away that much scholarship money could make it easier for disadvantaged people to attend the college, and it is understood that much of the donation is meant to go directly to scholarships.
But BC has been consistently operating over its enrollment capacity for a number of years now, and when that much money is donated, it does conjure up thoughts that money is needed to directly deal with problems that could thwart students from attending college.
A wish list, given unexpected funds, could include several things that we hear people talk about if there was some way to use the money to address some of the more immediate issues that confront the college.
Several of the buildings on campus are in poor shape and could benefit from some much-needed maintenance.
Many departments are teaching modern theories and processes with out-dated equipment in their labs and classrooms. Investing in new equipment would greatly enrich BC’s ability to fulfill its core mission.
More adjunct instructors could be hired, and more classes could be offered.
A program could be instituted to reimburse students for their books if they maintain a certain grade point average. This would provide many more students with an incentive to do well in class for the same cost.
No one at this paper doubts the motive or spirit behind the kindhearted gifts that Dr. Levan has given to this college. We understand that for the recipients of these scholarships, the donations can help open the doors to some truly life-changing opportunities.
But with a gift of such magnitude, it causes some thought that the effects could be more widely felt by more students, especially when we consider what the future may hold for BC in the governor’s budget.
In August, over 18,000 students will arrive on campus for the fall semester and they will be met by tuition increases, book costs, full wait lists for overcrowded classes, the possibility of more cuts in classes, services and staff, and there is an irony that some of the $14 million can’t be used for those purposes.