Ahead of the November general election, the Southern California News Group compiled a list of questions to pose to the candidates who wish to represent you. You can find the full questionnaire below.
Name: Elizabeth “Liz” Dorn Parker
Age: 66
Current job title: Governing Board Member, Coast Community College District
Incumbent: Yes
Other political positions held: Trustee, Orange County Board of Education (1982-2014)
City where you reside: Costa Mesa
Campaign website or social media: elizabethdornparker.com
What are the top two needs of your college district, and how are you prepared to address them? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
1. Continuing the expansion of career education to meet the workforce needs of today and the future.
2. Continuing to provide sound fiscal budgets with expenditures to ensure students achieve their educational goals.
To you, what is the role of community college in education? Is it driving policy, being involved in curriculum, something else entirely? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
The community colleges of today are truly the workhorses of post-high school education for the best value. Coast Community College District offers students from high school dual enrollment to explore their career pathways, it has one of the best reputations to transfer to four year universities, and our colleges offer career education certificates in the hundreds.
Career education must constantly evolve to meet the changing needs of technology, healthcare, and hospitality, to name just a few sectors. As community colleges offer the pathway to better-paying jobs and careers to meet the demands of business and communities, they remain the most affordable option for all to become our students.
In October, Long Beach City College will break ground on a new student housing facility at its Liberal Arts Campus that will provide 431 total units to students. Is student housing a priority that your college should pursue? If so, explain how you intend to take on such an endeavor in a timely, cost-effective manner. If you don’t, how should your college district support students searching for affordable housing options near campus? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
Our district, at Orange Coast College, was the first college in an urban/suburban environment to build and offer student housing in the state. By implementing a public-private partnership, we have been the model for all other community colleges in the state to follow as they break ground on student housing. We have accomplished what Long Beach City College has just begun to build. Our student housing was completed in 2020 and has been serving students for six years now.
What actions would you suggest to prevent a cyberattack similar to the Canvas data breach in May? How can your district ensure students’ information is safe? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
I have made it a top priority to invest in cybersecurity. By supporting a new executive position, Vice Chancellor and Chief Technology Officer, she has been able to institute an ongoing cybersecurity system. This proved critical when the Canvas data breach occurred, and our district was one that did not suffer an outage for long and kept the data safe. This investment will continue to be one of my top priorities for my next term.
How do you feel artificial intelligence is, or isn’t, safe in the classroom? In what instances should it be expanded in the classroom? What about when it should be limited? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
AI is not only here, but it is the future. The key for me is to ensure AI software is a closed system, so the data from our students, faculty and staff are not used across open systems. We must provide professional development for our faculty and staff to learn and understand the software and systems they can access to partner with its abilities. What is key for its use is to not allow AI to remove the critical thinking and analysis that students must continue to grow and become proficient in for their future. Our colleges must implement guardrails to ensure the AI is used for the benefit of learning and acquiring skills for their future careers while ensuring privacy and their work is not hijacked or data they built is not breached.
How do you believe schools can better teach or engage students in civil discourse? How would you like to see your district tackle this issue? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
One of the strengths of community colleges is to engage learning in spaces in and out of the classroom for dialogue and discourse. This strength comes from ensuring academic freedom happens, the First Amendment is supported, and difficult topics are part of the curricula students learn. We have policies in place to ensure students and staff with differing opinions are protected from violence while allowing them space to present their ideas. Shutting down these discussions is the opposite of learning that occurs across the campuses.
What experiences and priorities do you bring to this role? What have you learned in prior leadership roles that makes you the person for the job? (Please answer in 200 words or less.)
For over three decades, I have had the opportunity to be an elected educational leader for our county’s public K-12 schools and now our community colleges. With this experience, I deeply understand the educational systems, the political aspects of our schools and colleges, and the ability to set goals on a larger or higher up vantage point. Even while looking for system changes, I am able to understand the small steps that happen on the journey needed for student success. This matters most to those students previously left out of educational opportunities.
If your campaign had a mascot, what would it be and why? (Please answer in 200 words or fewer.)
Woody from Toy Story: He is a deeply layered character known for his core strengths of unwavering loyalty, natural leadership, and bravery, who evolves to be a reliable friend who gains empathy for those around him. I too am ‘deeply layered’ and have evolved in my leadership to be empathetic, reliable, work for the benefit of the entire system, and dedicated to student success.
Bonus question: What is the best book you’ve read this year? Explain why you found it compelling.
“Mona’s Eyes.” The story is of a child in Paris losing her eyesight, and her grandfather takes her to art in the Louvre weekly so she will have lasting images of the art, the history of when the art was created and her grandfather’s love. These three aspects are deeply embedded in my life: art history, museums and grandfathers’ love and support.
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