Oxnard College welcomed California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice Harris as he spoke about the future success of students at the Statewide Chancellor’s Circle Luncheon on Wednesday, Sept 9.

Harris talked about how the community colleges survived the financial crisis in 2011. The chancellor gave credit to the passing of Proposition 30, which temporarily raised tax rates to help prevent cuts in student services such as counseling and admission. This effort in turn helped the community colleges to survive and keep students in school.

“We simply must get access and success right to students,” Harris said. “Nobody has ever said to me that they didn’t get a good education from a community college in California.”

The luncheon was hosted by Bernard Luskin, the chancellor of the Ventura County Community College District and James Limbaugh, the president of Oxnard College.

Invitations to this event reached out to college foundation leaders, district chancellors, college presidents and other important figures in the education sector.

Luskin said he wanted Harris to come to Oxnard college to showcase the amazing culinary arts program that the school offers. The students of this program also cooked and served the guests.

Besides the luncheon, Oxnard College’s ballet folkloric ensemble put on a dance performance to entertain the guests at the beginning of the event.

The event also included a campus tour with the help of Oxnard’s student ambassadors. The guests were divided into groups and toured either the Library and Learning Resource Center or the Student Services One Stop Center.

“It was so great to have Chancellor Harris here today,” Luskin said.