The Promise of Higher-Ed – Geoff Green

In 805conversations by Mark Sylvester

I’m a generalist to the extreme

We accept the top 100% of applicants”
Geoff Green is the CEO of the SBCC Foundation. He talked with Mark and Patrick about his road to SBCC and how Social Justice has become a central theme in his life.

This wide-ranging conversation covered a lot of ground including:

  • A bit of background on Santa Barbara City College (SBCC)
  • How California has structured, it’s higher ed program with the UC system, the CSU campuses, and the 113 Community Colleges
  • There are 2.6M students in California’s community colleges
  • How working at Yosemite was a dream job, but not a long term viable place to work
  • He comes from a family of teachers – mom, dad, aunts and his brother
  • What about being a CEO intrigues him? Figuring out the Big Picture
  • His passion, Education, and Access to it – which it turns out is a social justice issue
  • His biggest surprise since coming to the Foundation? They have the same problems as smaller organizations
  • What the SBCC Promise Program is all about and a brief history of the Promise program in the United States
  • Promise Programs promise free education – a big part of Bernie Sanders platform in his 2016 bid for President
  • What are the keys to student success?
  • — Being a full-time student vs. part time
  • — Early enrollments (right out of high school)
  • — Access to counselors and mentors
  • Geoff is one of the most networked people in Santa Barbara, and his work at the Fund for Santa Barbara was a perfect place for him to hone those skills that serve him well.
Photo credit: J.C. Corliss / Noozhawk