Nader urges Connecticut governor to reject community college consolidation

Ralph Nader Ralph Nader Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Nader urges Connecticut governor to reject community college consolidation 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

Add Ralph Nader to the list of those who think consolidating the state’s 12 community colleges into one is a bad idea.

Nader, the quintessential consumer advocate, Connecticut native and sometime presidential candidate, wrote a letter to Gov. Ned Lamont on Monday asking him to put the breaks on a plan that he calls dangerous, embarrassing and half-baked.

“Community based education is so essential for democracy in an age of relentless concentration of decision in even fewer hands,” wrote Nader.

Nader, in a telephone interview, said he believes he has the ear of the freshman governor.

“Oh yeah, I have talked to him on other things,” Nader said, adding the new governor has visited Winsted, where Nader still lives, on more than one occasion.

Mark Ojakian, a former chief of staff of former governor Dan Malloy, became the third president of the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities system in 2015. Less than two years later, he was the architect of a plan he called Students First, which would combine community colleges, consolidating administrative and back office services but leaving 12 campuses. The idea, he said, would save money and provide a better experience for students.

A large number of faculty and members of the community disagreed. So, too, did the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, which rejected the plan, calling it unrealistic.

Rather than shelve the idea, Ojakian has forged ahead to aligning curriculum. The system is getting feedback from the accrediting body, now called the New England Commission on Higher Education, as it revises the plan. Last week, the Board of Regents for the system named three regional presidents — each which will make $220,000 salaries and oversee four of the community colleges. For the time being, campus presidents remain in place.

In the long run, Ojakian said, the plan will save $23 million and increase the number of students who graduate.

In his letter, Nader appeals to Lamont to turn his attention to the community college situation — and remove Ojakian and stop the consolidation process.

Nader’s older brother, Shaf Nader, founded Northwestern Community College in 1955.

“I have been interested in this issue since Day One,” Nader said.

Nader said the General Assembly would take back some of its authority over the situation if a Senate bill were to require legislative approval to merge or close institutions within the CSCU system. He wants more, but called such a bill a start.

Ojakian’s office had no comment on the letter. The governor’s office could not immediately be reached for comment.