In the past several years, Las Positas College students have been frustrated in achieving their academic goals of transfer to a four-year institution or completion of a terminal vocation degree. Essential classes required for graduation have had to be cut from the LPC course offerings because of severe funding cutbacks in the CA state budget. This is not an insignificant problem; approximately 150 course sections have been eliminated at the College over the past three years. The Foundation 55 Program has been designed to help address this problem.

For every $5500 raised as part of the Foundation 55 Program, one of the class 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 a direct impact on the lives of up to 40 students for an entire semester.

The basic cost of a California community college education is rising dramatically… but it is still a relative bargain for students wishing to prepare for transfer to a four-year institution or for those who want career technical instruction. Fees for residents taking courses at Las Positas College are growing due to the current challenges with the California state budget. Two years ago, fees were $26 per credit; they are currently $36 and will rise to $47 shortly. The impact of these increases can be severe for many students but are still far less than the cost of tuition at four-year institutions.

The actual cost of attending Las Positas College involves far more than per-credit costs… challenging though those may be. In actuality, the full costs of higher education must also include payments for child care, transportation, and lost work & family time. Far and away the most easily quantified additional costs are for supplies – principally textbooks. A single text often costs in excess of $100 and can exceed $400. Sadly, these “extra” costs can force some students to attempt to take classes without textbooks or, worse, drop out of college.

The Las Positas College Foundation Textbook Challenge in a vehicle to fund a Book “Loaner” program. Managed by the Associated Students of Las Positas College, the program started in the Fall Semester 2009 as a daily check-out service of the College Library. Recently it was revised to permit use of textbooks for a full semester for a fee of just $30 per text with a two book limit.

Las Positas College’s Veterans First Initiative has been designed to ease the transition of servicemen and women from military life into college and to assist them with educational, financial and other forms of support needed to improve their chances of success at college.

The staff of Las Positas College has moved aggressively to advance the vision of a full service veterans program from a dream to reality.  With seed funding from the Las Positas College Foundation, it has devoted a tremendous amount of work and the numerous resources necessary to prepare Las Positas to become the college of choice for the many veterans returning from the military and those who may be seeking new opportunities.

The Veterans First Initiative has developed an aggressive approach to addressing the need for a) Increased awareness about the opportunities for veterans at Las Positas College and b) a robust program that addresses and meets the unique needs of this very special group of students.