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The problems in Sacramento all boil down to bad manners, according to State Senator Jack Scott, who will become the 14th Chancellor of the California Community Colleges on January 1, 2009. Scott was the honored guest at a recent reception in Los Angeles City College’s new Martin Luther King Jr. library.

“Sacramento is an arena where everybody is trying to get the money,” Scott said. “And you know, when food gets scarce, manners get bad.”

“I urge all of you to contact your legislator and let them know all you do,” he said to the crowd of faculty, staff and administrators from the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD). “Education is an investment, not a cost. For every one dollar invested, the state gets three back in taxes – the earning power of those individuals who are successful in our community colleges.”

The October 27 reception was hosted by the LACCD to welcome the Senator to his new role as state Chancellor. Before becoming a legislator, Scott worked for 23 years in community colleges.

“The future of our state economy and even the California dream are tied to increasing the number of Californian’s who both enter and complete their college education,” Dr. Scott said. “That is why the community colleges are so important. They can provide California a competitive edge in the global economy.”

A member of the State Legislature since 1997 and a champion of education issues, Dr. Scott was successful in authoring several key bills important to the community colleges that were signed into law. Senator Scott led the charge in passing Senate Bill 1309 that helped address the state’s nursing shortage and SB 361, the historic funding formula bill that changes how community colleges do business.

“We are pleased to welcome the Senator to Los Angeles City College,” Dr. Marshall Drummond, Chancellor of the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) said. “Through his years legislating in Sacramento, he always demonstrated a commitment to higher education, and his selection as state Chancellor bodes well for our entire state community college system.”

A native of Sweetwater, Texas, Dr. Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree from Abilene Christian University, a Master of Divinity from Yale University and a Ph.D. in American History from Claremont Graduate University.

Los Angeles City College is home to over 15,000 full time students, and provides pre-major courses to students wishing to transfer to universities, as well as a variety of two-year vocational job training programs. Classes are offered year-round at only $20 a unit and financial aid is available to students who qualify. For more information, visit www.lacitycollege.edu or call 888.930.LACC.