Editor:

College of the Redwoods is experiencing a time of significant change in its commitment to re-connecting with the communities it serves. CR has revised its Education Master Plan with a focus on increasing access to classes and programs and helping students attain their educational goals. Opening new instructional sites in Arcata and McKinleyville, offering classes at a number of local high schools and presenting more online, night and weekend classes result from that focus.

I would like to offer some additional thoughts to the July 30 issue of the North Coast Journal article, "Stress Fracture." As the co-chair of the 2008-09 Education Master Plan Committee, I disagree with the assertion that the College of the Redwoods Draft Educational Master Plan (EMP) was "seriously flawed."

I acknowledge that the speed in which we had to create the EMP for the accrediting commission meeting in January 2009 necessitated moving on a draft document in December that we knew was going to be revised and that prevented us from receiving as much input as we would have liked from the entire CR community, including staff, faculty, administrators and managers.

Subsequent to the submittal of the EMP to the accrediting commission in late December, the CR administration made a commitment to the EMP co-chairs — Allen Keppner and myself — that the EMP committee had free rein to revise the document. It was understood that enrollment growth had to remain as the foundation of the plan as a driving force to ensure that CR would have the financial foundation to grow and maintain programs.

The EMP committee's work culminated with a document that was approved by the committee as a whole and subsequently by the CR Board of Trustees in May. Even though the plan was adopted, CR is committed to a continuous planning improvement process. Therefore the EMP will be revised and strengthened annually with input from the entire CR community.

As CR's vice president of student services, I believe the CR administration is committed to a student-centered and rational approach to realizing the educational and economic development needs of its community.

Keith Snow-Flamer, Vice President for Learning and Student Development, College of the Redwoods