Pai said he believes pursuing higher education is the best way to secure gainful employment and financial independence.

Since Pai took the reins at IVC three years ago, the college has become the fourth fastest-growing community college district in California. Pai said he interprets this as an indication that some degree of post-secondary education is needed to successfully enter the work force in today’s economy.

Pai said IVC is constantly undertaking new projects in order to properly meet this growing demand for higher education and firmly secure itself as a source of talent for Imperial Valley’s economy.

In the spirit of Higher Education Week, Pai discussed how IVC plans to satisfy the education needs of Imperial Valley residents now and in the future.

Q. What is Imperial Valley College’s role in this community?

A. IVC is a major and the largest higher education provider in the Valley. It is the alma mater for over 20,000 graduates and the stepping stone for many more former students to better jobs and college degrees. It transfers over 500 college students each year to (California State University, University of California) and other universities. About the same number of graduates are awarded associate degrees and certificates and enter the job market and upper divisions of universities mostly as juniors.

Study shows personal income is proportional to the degree level obtained. It also shows that everyone should acquire at least two years of post-secondary education to secure a moderate gainful employment in today’s economy. So, IVC is a key to the economic development of our community and a key to better citizenship and financial independence.

Q. Why should higher education be important to Imperial Valley residents?

A. First, the Valley residents will need at least some higher education to acquire and persist in better jobs, as I stated.

Second, we will need well-informed and independent thinkers to run our business, agriculture, manufacturing industry, schools, government entities, and even family affairs.

Third, some very fundamental learning outcomes from the higher education such as communication, critical thinking and analysis, personal responsibility, information literacy, and global awareness are essential to our survival to sustain the American way of life.

Q. What does IVC offer to graduating Imperial Valley high school students

concerned about the expense of continuing their education?

A. IVC offers the most affordable tuition and fees of $20 a unit starting in January 2007. The health-care fee of $14 per semester and $1 for student representation fee are among the cheapest in the nation. Financial aid, scholarships and Board of Governor’s waiver release approximately 80 percent of our students from the financial burden of attending college. Book loans are even available for limited number of students through the IVC Foundation, a separate non-profit organization.

Q. What are the benefits of beginning a college education at IVC rather than

a four-year university?

A. I called it “smart college planning.” It pays to start your college at IVC to acquire good grades at the most affordable quality educa-tion. Because you will find the most qualified faculty who are dedicated to teaching, you will want to explore the field of interest, decide on your major for college, and get as much as you can at IVC. Then, you can join hundreds of other transfer students to a university of your choice.

Spend a little more to acquire the last two years of college. For some majors, you will find right down the road at SDSU-IV campuses to transfer to. You might even go further than a bachelor’s degree and appreciate the great foundation established with IVC’s help and the money you saved there.

Q. Imperial Valley residents have a lower education rate than most other

parts of California. What are the causes and effects of this trend? Is this

trend changing with younger generations?

A. The availability of quality bachelor’s degree programs at SDSU-IV campuses has been a great asset to the Valley. 

They have 14 majors for a variety of interests. The population here does participate in higher education. Actually, the percentage of high school graduates from Imperial County attending college during the first year after graduation exceeds that from any other county in the state recently. With the P-16 movement in the Valley, I hope more students will continue to pursue associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees and higher.

Q. What’s in the future for Imperial Valley College?

A. Imperial Valley College will continue to grow at a moderate rate and reflect the county’s population and high school graduates. It will serve the community in a triple combination of a junior college, technical college and continuing education center.