California Community College Chancellor Mark Drummond addressed the budget situation to Bakersfield College administrators at The Renegade Room on Oct. 7.

“We’re really frankly in a squeeze, and this college is in just as big of a squeeze as anybody in the state as far as how we serve the students,” Drummond said.

He said Gov. Schwarzenegger is supportive of community colleges.

“The governor is keenly aware of the needs of the education community,” Drummond said. “He seems to be supportive of community colleges. He’s the first governor I’ve seen in office that actually seems to understand what we do and how we do it.”

Lincoln Hall, BC’s interim president; Sandra Serrano, Kern Community College District chancellor; and Don Turney, BC’s dean of students, were just a few of the administrators present to hear Drummond.

“He demonstrated to me was that he is extremely knowledgeable about the problems that face community colleges in California,” Hall said.

“I think he is also very realistic on what we have to do.

“Having been the chancellor of the Los Angeles system with nine community colleges, he’s already been in what is a highly charged political environment, so it’s not really something new for him to go into the chancellor’s office in Sacramento,” Hall said.

Turney said he enjoyed the speech.

“What a great thing that he came to our campus,” he said.

“It’s a pleasure to hear him talk. He’s outlined some very exciting plans for the future.”

Drummond, the former chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, visited all of the colleges in the Kern Community College District as part of his statewide tour of colleges.