And, not surprisingly, some of those measures have been controversial among college faculty, including community college instructors. The strong reaction came as no shock to Pickens who has heard some of the criticism during college appearances he has made around the state. Our group is highly supportive of higher education and its purposes. We saw higher education as crucial to the success of California. Of particular concern to the commission is the state of community colleges.
Community colleges are vital to California.
California community colleges currently enroll 1.4 million students in credited and non-credit classes, a figure that translates into 10 percent of all students in the United States and 27 percent of the nation's community colleges. The community colleges are the most diverse among the public segment, enrolling the majority of African-American and Latino students in higher education. The commission became aware of how important the system is.