West Valley College details its plans for the next decade

Student, work population is more diverse

By Leigh Ann Maze

Students, faculty and staff at West Valley College on Jan. 13 rewarded themselves with an ice cream party. The celebration marked a milestone in a "from the ground up" project to create a master plan for West Valley College, detailing how it will develop over the next five to 10 years.

The project--the first of its kind since 1988--has been under way since March and is expected to be finished by the end of the school year, according to Dr. Joe Samuels, vice president of instruction and project manager. Keithley Consulting Group was hired to help conduct interviews with local business and community members and gather pertinent information on the local population, industry and trends. A preliminary report released by Keithley Consulting Group in September outlined issues in the community that need to be addressed in the final master plan.

"We are a 35-year-old institution, and our needs have changed since our first brick and mortar were put in the ground," Samuels said.

Although West Valley College serves the cities of Saratoga, Los Gatos and Monte Sereno, the preliminary report found about 65 percent of the college's students come from outside these areas. The populations in these outlying areas, such as San Jose and Morgan Hill, continue to grow while the population in West Valley College's immediate area, namely Saratoga and Los Gatos, is a slow-growing, older population.

The preliminary report also found an increasing number of workers--about 18 percent of Santa Clara County's work force--commutes to work from outlying areas. The commuter population is expected to continue to grow over the next decade, and Samuels predicts that the demand for at-home courses also will grow.

The work force and students served by West Valley College are also diversifying. The preliminary report states that Santa Clara County's population is changing from predominantly white to an equal mix of whites, Hispanics and Asians. The preliminary report noted that the need to assist and encourage all students in their career potential will become increasingly important.

With research showing Santa Clara Valley as the nation's top exporting region with $40 billion in annual exports, the report also calls for the development of an international business program addressing culture, language and business issues. Short-term business courses aimed at self-employed people are also in high demand owing to the explosion of local start-up companies.

In response to these community issues and other research, each of the 103 educational departments and administrative offices at West Valley College wrote six-page reports telling the school which direction their program will be heading in during the next five to 10 years and what resources they need to get there.

The ice cream celebration marked the end of this process. From here, Samuels said, all of the information will be analyzed and synthesized into a master plan that will serve as a compass for West Valley College as it develops.

"I anticipate there will be some building renovations," Samuels said.

The final plan will detail the college's goals and priorities, and the new buildings, remodels, staff and technologies needed to reach them. The finished report will also be used as a detailed informational resource for interested community members and for the state to use in determining what funds to allocate to the college for remodeling and building projects.

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