A Year of Hope and Progress for COD [Sponsored]

A Look at Interim Superintendent/President Laura Hope After One Year [Sponsored]

Interim Superintendent and President of College of the Desert (COD) Laura Hope has had a major impact on the College’s culture since she joined the community last year. Her success has come from listening to and addressing the most pressing needs of the community and introducing new student success programs. All the while, she oversaw significant multi-campus developments.

Shortly after President Hope began her tenure in July 2023, she conducted a series of engagement sessions, bringing community voices together to discuss opinions and needs in an open environment. Hope’s goals of transparency and collaboration were on full display, creating the space for students and residents to discuss topics ranging from academics and career advancement programs to educational barriers and more. Hope is carrying this spirit of engagement into 2024 with more listening sessions titled “Happy Hour with Hope.”

The 2023 listening sessions revealed some reoccurring barriers to education, including the cost to attend college that did not fall under the category of tuition. To increase access to learning materials, President Hope launched a new pilot program for the spring 2024 semester, allowing students to rent select textbooks for just $5 – a significant discount considering most textbooks can cost hundreds of dollars per semester. This program empowers students to pursue their educational goals without feeling burdened by additional costs. By removing barriers to local higher education, her work bolsters the Coachella Valley’s future workforce.

Through College of the Desert’s Fast Track class option, students can attend classes in a condensed timeframe, cutting the course from the standard 16 weeks to 8- or 12-week sessions. The program accelerates graduation and four-year university transfers, enabling students to enter the workforce more quickly.

The Roadrunner Express also took to the streets earlier this year, providing students with free shuttle transportation between the College’s East Valley, Indio, and Palm Desert campuses across two different routes. This amenity helps students who do not have cars get between campuses, which eliminates a barrier and inconvenience to education.

Significant progress has been made at the College’s expanded Indio campus, which includes a brand-new three-story building supporting an additional 5,000 students. The adjacent Child Development Center held its ribbon-cutting ceremony in January to celebrate its imminent grand opening. The 6,500-square-foot building will offer state-of-the-art toddler and preschool classrooms for children of students and faculty, as well as provide practical experience for those studying early child development. All of these new resources and programs contribute to a more educated workforce that will help advance the Coachella Valley’s economy in the coming years.

Construction on the upcoming Roadrunner Motors campus in Cathedral City is expected to begin this summer and will accommodate nearly 100 students in the new cohort-style Roadrunner Automotive program. The updated 26,000-square-foot training facility will provide students with access to cutting-edge diagnostic tools, advanced computing systems, and plenty of experience with a range of different vehicles.

The Palm Springs permanent campus will soon be underway. The proposed campus will feature state-of-the-art laboratories for hands-on learning experiences, as well as programs in architecture, culinary arts, digital arts, healthcare and possibility a bachelor’s degree program. The new Palm Springs campus is slated to hold classes in fall 2027.

It has been an eventful first year for President Hope, with significant contributions made to elevate and empower current and future students, as well as involve the community in helping shape the College for years to come. She plans to double down on campus community success and further College objectives to support students’ next steps in life after graduation, as many of them will continue to drive the Coachella Valley’s workforce and economy.