Welcome Message from Dr. Guy F. Lease, Interim President
I welcome you to Las Positas College and congratulate on your decision to come to LPC.
In today’s world, we know that there is an enormous value placed on education. Did you know that the average expected lifetime earnings for a graduate with a two year degree are $1.6 million – about $400,000 more than a high school graduate will earn? You have chosen to continue your education at LPC and that decision will be critical to your financial future and for the opportunities you will have for a challenging, rewarding career.
Community colleges are central to building a competitive America and absolutely critical to meeting President Obama’s goal that America will once again have the highest college graduation rate in the world by 2020. Community college is a great choice for you to begin your college education. And LPC is a great community college.
Our motto is Students First. What does that mean to you?
It means that our only reason for being is our students. We are here for you. Compared to some of the large universities in our state, you will be in relatively small classes with an opportunity to get to know and to interrelate with our faculty. Research tells us that one of the key factors in student success is the ability for students to have a personal contact with their teachers. We take pride in providing that opportunity at LPC.
It means that we measure our success in terms of our students’ success. To help you succeed we assess where you are in English and Math so we can place you at the appropriate level as you begin your college experience. We provide counselors to help you select a major and/or a career. They help you select the courses you need to keep you focused on your educational goals. We provide assistance for you to seek financial aid in a variety of ways to help you pay for college and enable you to complete your educational goals. We have an excellent library, tutors and computer labs to help you with your research, writing assignments and homework. As I said, we are here for you and we want you to succeed.
We also want to ensure you enjoy the most cost effective college education anywhere in the United States. Our enrollment fees are $26 per semester hour. Compare that to CSU, UC or private colleges and universities and you will understand what an incredible value LPC offers you. Our fees run around $800 per year. A private university in our area will charge as much as $30,000 per year. Our bookstore offers you the opportunity to rent your books to save you even more. This is the best bargain in education.
How about Quality? We will put our faculty up against faculty in any institution. We have excellent facilities and equipment. You won’t get a better education anywhere in your vocational field or in your general education courses that prepare you to transfer to a university.
We offer high quality, affordable, accessible higher education to you in ways that no one can beat. You have made a wise choice and so I congratulate you.
I also want to challenge you. You will get out of college what you put into it. So get involved. This is a great time in your life and you will want to take every advantage of it. Take a look at our student clubs and student government. Have fun and be active on campus because this is another key factor in your succeeding in college. Most of you will have to work and many of you have families that will make it difficult to join a club, play a sport or participate in student government, but do what you can. You will get much more out of college by being engaged in campus activities.
I look forward to seeing you on campus. Don’t be shy. Say hello if you see me on campus or drop my office to talk. I say that on behalf of all of our faculty and staff. We are here to help you and we are glad you are here. Welcome and best wishes for a great year.
