Kenneth Cooper, Executive Director, Las Positas College Foundation, chairs the Conference for Community College Advancement, Oct. 16-18 in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. He shares his thoughts on the challenges and opportunities for those who work with community colleges, and why he loves serving on the program committee.
How did you find your way to a career in advancement?
As a student at UC Davis, I was preparing to be a teacher. Nearing graduation, a friend of mine was opening the first Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Sacramento, California, and she asked me to be its first education director. That was my first introduction to advancement. I loved being a part of building from the ground up. I found there is a lot about fundraising that scratches my teaching itch—sharing stories, talking about outcomes, bringing people along with you. Those same things that attracted me to teaching attracted me to advancement. After that position, I worked in a Sacramento City school district to establish family resource centers addressing social and emotional needs to improve educational outcomes. Again, this was good training for fundraising and development. We were always aware of the dollars we brought in, how we leveraged them to serve the community, and how we showed a return on investment.
An old friend and colleague who had become a community college president told me, “You need to keep your eye on community colleges and how they serve their communities.” I did just that and when I saw an opening, I applied and got my first job as a director of college advancement. That’s what I’ve been doing now for almost 20 years.
What do you find rewarding about working in community college advancement, particularly at your institution?
In community college advancement in general, we talk to donors a lot about the value their dollars can bring to the students and communities we serve. We represent a very distinct kind of value in higher education. A $10,000 gift can travel a lot farther at our institution because of the different cost structures compared to those at four-year institutions. The impact and value are simply different. I often think about a student I met early on in my career at my first college. He was someone who would have had fewer educational options if not for his hard work, donor support, and the opportunity of attending a college right in his community. He went on to a four-year program and eventually earned a doctorate. He is now a dean at the same community college district that gave him a start. I feel honored to have been a small part of his journey. That’s what it’s all about.
I’ve been at Las Positas College for nine years. I love working with our foundation board of directors, staff, faculty, and college leadership. For the past four years, I’ve had the opportunity to work directly with our President Dr. Dyrell Foster. He’s been an outstanding partner with the LPC Foundation and an important part of our fundraising efforts. When I started, foundation net assets were about $800,000. As of the last fiscal year, we’ve crossed the $10 million mark. I think that kind of growth is a testament to our volunteer board of directors and the community we live in and serve.
What do you see as the greatest challenges impacting community college advancement professionals?
I was recently reading an article in Inside Higher Education about a decline in support to two- year institutions. I thought to myself, “When was that ever not a challenge?” The challenge is always growing a base of support. There can be a perception that our institutions don’t need assistance because they receive state funding. So, we, as advancement professionals, always need to frame our efforts with that in mind. The state helps us provide services at an adequate level. But we strive for exceptional. Our students are deserving, and with scholarships and well-funded, innovative programs, they go on to do great things. We must show how additional support changes lives and communities. It’s all about telling our extraordinary impact stories to dispel misconceptions. The other challenge is in growing our advancement offices so that we have highly trained individuals who can do great things which lead to those extraordinary outcomes. Most community colleges have small shops with the potential to do more. So, it’s on us to show the correlation between staffing and great outcomes.
And in thinking about challenges, I also think about opportunities. Right now, workforce development has become a critical area of philanthropic support. Employers want well-trained and motivated employees to meet the unique demands of their communities and regions. They are looking to community colleges to meet those needs. Donors are paying attention, and they too see the potential of our colleges. They see our ability to create bespoke solutions. We have two national laboratories in our area, and we have built up our STEM programming as a result. Our students are filling the jobs and, in turn, improving our community. Workforce development will continue to be an important way we attract, retain, and multiply philanthropic dollars because those investments immediately impact communities for the better.
How are you enjoying the experience of being Chair for the upcoming Conference for Community College Advancement?
What’s not to love? I truly see it as a service to the profession and an opportunity to learn from exceptional colleagues. CASE is so important to our work as professionals, and it just feels right and rewarding to be part of that. It’s also an honor to work with so many passionate, gifted colleagues from colleges across the country who are serving on the committee. I learn so much from them. In every meeting, my notebook stays open and I’m always jotting down ideas that I can take back to my own work. Having served on the inaugural planning committee for the CCCA, I can tell you that this conference attracts some of the most amazing presentation proposals. They are always on the pulse of what attendees, at all career levels, are asking to hear about. That’s what I’ve always loved about this conference. And of course, we can never underestimate the networking that goes on between the conference meetings and workshop sessions. It’s simply invaluable. I’m especially excited about our pre-conference sessions for college presidents. As institutional leaders, they play a critical role in advancement and providing an opportunity for them to talk to and with their peers is such an important opportunity. I’m very grateful to CASE for supporting our planning committee in this area.
What do you like to do away from the job?
Away from the job, I enjoy travel and spending time with my wife (who’s a recently retired community college administrator) and close friends. We live near great wine-growing regions in Northern California and visit them often. I also love live music and try to take in a few concerts each year.