Blue Mountain Community College is still here, still employs hundreds of community members and still serves students all across the region. We’ve got our share of critics and tough revenue forecasts to work with, but we are working hard to pave the way forward and not look back.

In fact, over the last two months, the college approved a revised organization that has communities at the center supporting students. This reorganization addresses three key areas — right size, right direction, right growth.

The right size comes with organizational changes and a focus on a balanced budget. After much evaluation, examination and careful review of BMCC’s enrollment, class fill rates and program interest, we had to make difficult decisions. The cuts — though heartbreaking — were identified to not only balance the budget, but put the college on a path toward sustainability. The Board of Education addressed expenditures by approving the reduction of staff on Friday, April 30. On Monday, May 10, the Budget Committee began the process to approve a budget that is stable and flexible for growth.

These decisions were not easy, but essential to create a stable budget and predictable staffing for the next four years.

We are working with the resources we have, not those we wish we had. Our work has resulted in a budget that has been reduced by $1.9 million for 2021-22. That means the budget — revenue and expenditures — is now balanced for the next four years and we have sustained the programs offered in 2018. With nearly $4 million in reductions in the budget — $2 million in 2020-21 and $1.9 million in 2021-22 — the result is a stable budget.

Next is the right direction. Students are at the forefront of all decisions made at the college. We need strong wraparound support to increase retention and completion. By elevating best practices in curriculum, instruction and support services at the college, we will be better positioned to help students achieve their goals.

Our search for a new college president is vital to moving in the right direction. The college began the search for a new president in April and candidates’ materials will be reviewed in late May with finalist interviews the second week of June. The college is ready for a new president to lead the growth and opportunities that exist in Eastern Oregon.

So what does right growth look like for a college with a predictable, yet smaller budget and a brand new president coming on board? We need to bring in more students. We’ll do that by providing more support to high school students to help them get a head start on their future. And we are streamlining the process to transfer to a university and easily map out technical degrees and workforce skills.

The staff, faculty, administrators, students and the board are on the path to a shared goal — become stable, predictable and move into growth to better serve students and the community.

BMCC is here for the long haul to support workforce needs and help students achieve their educational, career and personal goals. We’re just going to look a little different while doing it. Come check us out — we are ready for you.

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