As an alum and former employee of the College of Santa Fe, my heart is breaking over the tragedy of the College closing its doors this coming May. Of all the educational institutions I have been blessed (and not so blessed) to attend, CSF is the one closest to my heart for a variety of reasons too numerous to list here.
There is a glimmer of hope for a new incarnation of CSF, however. House Bill 577 is making its way through the Legislature right now. This Bill proposes a state takeover of the College, enabling it to survive, albeit in a very changed manner. As of today, the bill has passed the House and will be considered by the State Senate this week. If you are interested in the outcome of this Bill, please contact your Senators now and express your opinion.
CSF is a major contributor to Santa Fe, providing not only numerous jobs for faculty and staff but a well-rounded four year higher education with a variety of subjects for majoring (the film program is especially noteworthy). Neither St. John’s nor the Community College, Santa Fe’s other institutions of higher learning, offers this particular opportunity. The more education our citizens obtain, the better off we shall all be, and the more prosperous as a community.
Here is the Legislature’s website: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/. And CSF’s webpage for advocating on their behalf: http://www.csf.edu/advocate.
I can’t pretend to know what changes would be in store for the College if House Bill 577 is passed, or if it will in any way resemble the institution it has been till now. All I know is, the College of Santa Fe is a valuable resource for Santa Fe and its people, and it would be a shame I cannot even fathom to let it cease to exist.
by AA @ Main
2 comments:
Thanks for the well written and heartfelt post.
http://www.sfreeper.com/2009/03/03/librarians-for-csf/
I agree with Patricia. It is a very special and wonderful school. I have opposed 577 because once this school is assumed into the State Higher Education system it will become similar to NMHU/UNM/NMSU/ENMU/WNMU and Española's new 4 year college. Once that happens it will be immediately burdened with all those terrible problems schools in NM suffer from. One of the biggest problems is that we have too many schools and not enough students. I hope that someone will find a 3D WAY for CSF in Santa Fe or we will lose this school even if it does remain in name only.
The State would like the land just as much as real estate speculators. Why not seek the protection of a judge and reform this institution into something leaner but with a brighter future than it will ever have as part of NM HED?
David
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