Interview with President Arvelo - Great Bay Community College

Recently, I met with the President of Great Bay Community College to inquire about some of the recent changes and possible new changes to our school. Here is how it went:

Erica: Why did the school separate from the state?
President Arvelo: In 2005, the Community College System made the decision to separate. The states personnel policies within the school structure were set up exactly like that of the administration of the Department of State. Internally, the system was not designed for higher education and made decision making a bit complicated. So in 2007 that separation began. The college system will still be connected in some ways but will be self governed which allows for more flexibility.

Erica: What does this mean financially for the school in regards to funding?
President Arvelo: This will not affect the funds given to the schools.

Erica: How much does Great Bay receive from the state?
President Arvelo: This past year Great Bay received just under $4 million dollars in state funds and that covers about half of the operating funds for the school.

Erica Rahn: I was under the impression that 2 year colleges in the State were not permitted to offer Bachelor degrees, but with the split is there the possibility that Great Bay could offer Bachelors degrees in the future?
President Arvelo: Offering Bachelor degrees draws away from the mission of the school. The possibility is there but has not been considered yet.

Erica: Lets talk about the parking problem, will a parking garage be built?
President Arvelo: The College is on a contained lot about 13 acres. As the school grows, and new offices and facilities need to be added, the parking issue would need to be solved. Currently there are about 550-600 cars a week at the school and we project that we will need to accommodate 800 cars in the future. There are other other option that have been discussed; encouraging car-pooling, public transportation, off-site parking, and parking garage.

Erica: Is the parking garage a definite go?
President Arvelo: Nothing has been decided as of yet. We are working with the Pease Development Authority at the moment.

Erica: I heard that there will also be a new entrance way? Is this true?
President Arvelo: Yes, the will be a new entrance way. In the original construction of this building, it was designed and was on the blue prints. Due to some financial and time issues the rennovation was put off.

Erica: When will it get done?
President Arvelo: We are hoping to start work either in the spring of 2010 or Summer. But it should be finished by Fall of 2010.

Erica: What is going on with the Stratham Building?
President Arvelo: The continuing care retirement community CCRC, based in Rye, is in the process of purchasing the building. The building will be a multi-service facility, for profit/non-profit, for the town and community. They are moving forward with the purchase over the next year and at the moment CCRC needs more funding, and things are looking promising. In the meantime, we have to maintain the building.

Erica: If the sale doesn't go through, how will that cost impact us and tuition?
President Arvelo: The sale of the building will not impact tuition. All tuition raises are made by the Board of Trustees. This board is chosen by the Governor, and the group makes a tuition hike decisions collaboratively. Tuition raises are are all system wide and under 4%. The main reason for these hikes are loss of funding just like all other public schools.

Erica: Does CCSNH have the highest tuition in the country for community colleges?

President Arvelo: CCSNH has the lowest tuition in NH in both private and public schools. If you look directly at tuition costs, NH is one of the highest "tuition" community colleges, BUT if you look at the costs of other schools in the nation, they seem to hide the costs in other FEES. The act of hiding fees can be misleading when comparing tuition costs only. CCSNH doesn't practice this type of billing.