League of Women Voters to host panel on higher education

Posted: 8:05 am, August 27, 2014 by Publisher Scott Brennan

Presidents of Cal Poly and Cuesta to discuss affordability and accessibility of a college education in SLO County

Gil Stork

The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County will host a panel discussion: “Can My Kids Afford College? Accessibility and Affordability of Higher Education” featuring Gil Stork of Cuesta College and Jeffrey Armstrong of Cal Poly on Saturday, September 13, 11:00 a.m., at Cuesta College Associated Student Auditorium. Student representatives Scott Chedester from Cuesta and Joi Sullivan from Cal Poly will also be on the panel. The panelists will take questions from the audience. The event is free and open to the public. A League of Women Voters business meeting will follow in the afternoon.

Gil Stork is well known to the San Luis Obispo community. Stork was selected as Cuesta College’s Superintendent/President, in January 2010, but he was no stranger to Cuesta, a school he has served for more than 40 years. From serving as a physical education instructor/assistant football coach beginning in 1967 to Superintendent/President in 2010, Stork has assumed a wide range of appointments and roles. Prior to Cuesta College, he taught mathematics and coached football/baseball at San Luis Obispo High School. Dr. Stork understands the challenges of higher education for San Luis Obispo County parents and students. His history with Cuesta College and his leadership skills make him uniquely qualified to lead the college and to speak on behalf of students and parents about the accessibility and affordability of higher education.

Jeffrey Armstrong

Jeffrey D. Armstrong began his tenure as Cal Poly’s ninth permanent president on Feb. 1, 2011, with a determination to enhance the university’s renowned Learn by Doing teaching approach. As a first-generation college graduate, Armstrong is particularly passionate about nurturing a campus climate that embraces inclusivity and diversity. “To succeed in our increasingly multicultural society,” Armstrong says, “our students need to experience the world as it really is.” As a member of the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) executive committee, Armstrong joins a dedicated coalition of senior business and higher education leaders committed to advancing innovative solutions to U.S. education and workforce challenges.

Scott Chedester and Joi Sullivan are the student representatives on the panel. Scott is Cuesta student body president and Student Trustee. As a member of the Cuesta College Board of Trustees, he votes equally with the other six Board of Trustee members on new policies and other agenda items. Joi is Cal Poly’s student body president. A Political Science major, she and Scott are Co-Chairs of a monthly meeting of the Student Community Liaison Committee, otherwise known as SCLC, where they and other representatives, including Chief of Police Steve Gesell, City Manager Katie Lichtig, and Mayor Jan Marx of the city of San Luis Obispo, meet to discuss and resolve community issues.

For more information contact the League of Women Voters at (805) 782-4040 or visit the website at www.lwvslo.org. The League of Women Voters is a political organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and public life.