Here’s some good news we can all be proud of: Last week The Signal reported College of the Canyons was ranked No. 14 in the entire state for return on education investment among more than 300 community colleges.
What’s this mean in real life? COC students earn back the money they spend on college in less than half a year after graduating. Compare that to the decades of student loans millions of other students struggle under. Beyond becoming debt-free, our COC graduates earn more than $16,000 a year above the typical high school graduate. Over a lifetime, that adds up to more than $500,000.
That’s real money, not abstract. That’s rent paid. That’s food on the table. That’s kids who grow up in homes where college isn’t just a dream but a reality. It also paves the way for the next generation moving up educational and economic ladders.
For many in our community, COC is either their only path, or their best economic path, to higher education. Without a low-cost community college right here in Santa Clarita, many of these students would never set foot on a college campus. For families with several kids, COC is the affordable way to get them all into college without crushing debt. Graduating with an associate degree for transfer guarantees admission into the California State University system, and students with strong GPAs may also qualify for University of California Transfer Admission Guarantee programs.
Attending and graduating COC is a success story for students from all walks of life, opening paths to stable and productive futures.
But there’s another side to this story. Many students struggle with tuition expense. They’ve got to eat. They’ve still got to cover rent, child care, gas money, laptops, and books. When those needs fall short, far too many drop out. That’s where the COC Foundation comes in.
As chairman of the foundation, I see every day how critical this work is. We provide scholarships. We step in with emergency grants when life happens. We keep the Basic Needs Center stocked so no student goes hungry. We assist with tuition. We even help with program funding when state or federal dollars fall short. Sometimes, we help build infrastructure, like the Culinary Arts facility.
Right now, amid state and federal financial turmoil, the need is greater than ever. Student loan subsidies are closing, and repayment terms are harsher. Pell Grants are changing, with some students benefiting and others losing out. Locally, our Canyons Promise Program, which provides tuition assistance, is staring at a $700,000 shortfall. Our Basic Needs Center, which serves about 400 students a day with meals, pantry support, and supplies, will lose its federal funding next year. And that’s at the same time more than 500 of our students are already unhoused while working through their college programs.
These are young people working hard, going to class, and trying to build a future while fighting off financial challenges both small and enormous. It’s hard to study for finals when you don’t know where you’ll sleep tonight. Hard to imagine in the Santa Clarita Valley, but it’s true.
Time and again, we’ve heard stories of incredible perseverance and success by COC graduates, crediting COC with getting them through daunting struggles to the other side of stable lives.
We’ve all heard about the college’s leadership transitions. The foundation has also gone through its own changes. But here’s the good news: We’ve come out stronger. In fact, we’re already having one of our best fundraising years in recent memory. We’ve developed a new plan, a renewed commitment, and we have a dedicated and expanding board made up of people from every walk of life, all of us giving time, energy, and money to make sure students succeed.
But we can’t do it without you.
All funds donated to the foundation go directly toward helping students stay in school and graduate. Every scholarship we award, every emergency grant we give, every pantry item we hand out is an investment in the future of Santa Clarita.
And that’s the bigger point. Education is a public good. When students succeed, our whole community succeeds. Educated people earn more, yes. But they also vote more, volunteer more, and build stronger families and safer neighborhoods. Education is the best community investment we can make. In the end, education isn’t only about improving individual lives, it’s about building a community that is more civil, safer and happier.
So, here’s my ask: Support the COC Foundation. Come to our events. Give what you can. Spread the word.
COC has proven it delivers one of the best returns on investment in California. Now it’s our turn, Santa Clarita: Let’s invest in the students who will carry our community forward.
To learn more or to help, reach the COC Foundation at www.canyons.edu/administration/foundation or 661-362-3737.
Gary Horton is chairman of the College of the Canyons Foundation board. His “Full Speed to Port!” has appeared in The Signal since 2006. The opinions expressed in his column do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Signal or its editorial board.
