Letter: CBC president’s successor should match his cultural awareness
The departure of CBC’s president, Dr. Rich Cummins, will indeed leave very big shoes to fill. As the Feb. 19 TCH editorial aptly noted, Dr. Cummins’ visionary work transformed our “Tumbleweed Tech” into a first-line college now offering four-year degrees. Because of his leadership and strategic focus, our CBC is positioned to become Columbia Basin University in the not-too-distant future.
There is another quality to Dr. Cummins which warrants mention — his appreciation of our multicultural community and his sense that academic achievement should not be constrained by cultural and linguistic differences. If a young person has a thirst for learning and is a community member in good standing, he/she should not live in fear of deportation due to an undocumented status. Dr. Cummins is a strong defender of Dreamers, young immigrants brought to our community as children and who face an unjust threat of expulsion to countries they never knew.
Dr. Cummins’ successor will need to match not only his vision and leadership, but also his cultural awareness and sensitivity. Anything less will not do.
Felix Vargas, chair, Consejo Latino, Pasco
This story was originally published February 26, 2017 at 4:01 AM with the headline "Letter: CBC president’s successor should match his cultural awareness."