Letter: CBC departing from community focus

Columbia Basin College has been a great community resource by providing opportunities for the people of Benton and Franklin counties. However, based on the story, “CBC aims to draw students from around the globe” (Oct. 30), it appears that the community may not be the focus anymore.

CBC President Rich Cummins made a trip to the Middle East in his effort to start an international program. Sorry president, but CBC is a community college, and its focus should be to provide the local community with its needs. Aiming at drawing global students isn’t one.

It appears that President Cummins has departed from the community focus, as demonstrated by his effort to go global and his action in 2010 to terminate the CBC auto body program. After CBC terminated the auto body program, local students interested in obtaining auto body training must leave the Tri-Cities or go to the state prison in Walla Walla. Currently, one of the terminated CBC auto body instructors is employed as a teacher at the Walla Walla prison.

Since President Cummins is departing from focusing on the needs of the community, he should be asked to move to the university community.

This story was originally published November 3, 2016 at 4:38 AM with the headline "Letter: CBC departing from community focus."