a busy week

This week was very busy. I travelled to Phoenix on Tuesday to meet with representatives from ASU to talk about partnering with them for bachelor degree program offerings at MCC. The same day, the community college presidents met in separate meeting with the Governor, her Chief of Staff, and representatives from a task force working on P-20 Council plans.

The Governor's Office seems to be well-grounded in the reality of the state's economy. They don't mince words, they don't sugar-coat the current situation, and are trying to be very transparent in sharing information about the economy and state budget. It looks like 2 more lean revenue years are ahead for the state, which will force reductions in state expenditures; and, that is no surprise and not new information.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I had meetings with the local school superintendants where we discussed partnerships and assisting each other. Thursday's meeting included discussions with our 3 locally elected state representatives and senator.

It's very interesting to view the differences of perspectives, having been with the Governor days earlier. Politics and idealogies are the hallmark of governing, and they are what stimulate discussion and argument; however, at the end of the day, compromise is the name of the game.

It looks like a special session of the legislature may be coming soon where we'll see how much compromise will occur. I did detect an air of optimism as each politician expressed their views; one certainty is that they each realize how important it is to adopt a state budget for this year.

Mike Kearns