Vote LAWRENCE HIDALGO  for  LCC Board of Trustees

Lawrence Hidalgo, Jr.

Lansing Community College

Board of Trustees Candidate

(Six-Year Term Ending

December 31, 2015)

November 3, 2009 Election

Dear Voter:

The coming years will present difficult challenges for the Board of Trustees of Lansing Community College.  It is because LCC has been such a positive influence in my life and the lives of so many people that I want to serve on the LCC Board. 

As a husband, father, grandfather and teacher, I am vitally concerned with the quality of educational opportunities that we have to offer the citizens of  Mid-Michigan.  I went to school at LCC, my children went to LCC, and I’m hoping that my grandchildren can go to LCC.

I am a consensus builder and I believe that I would be a great asset to the LCC Board.  As the Director of the Lansing Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (LEJATC) for over 19 years I have often addressed confrontational issues between my board made of 6 members from labor and management and helped them come to common ground.  I have developed the necessary skills to bring these parties together and achieve success.  Working with management and labor the LEJATC has become a nationally recognized apprentice and journeyman training program.

Lansing Community College must also address budget issues which will involve considering changes in class sizes, number of classes, program cuts, tuition hikes and layoffs.  As a trustee I will ask the tough questions and will make decisions based on what is best for the community and the students we serve. I hold a Bachelors degree in Social Studies Education and a Juris Doctor from Thomas Cooley Law School. I will bring this training and experience when addressing this tough issue.

I have been directly involved with the CRAFT program that has brought various organizations, businesses and educational institutions together to create this program.  CRAFT stands for Career Readiness and Fitness Training. The CRAFT program is housed in the Lansing School District high schools. CRAFT helps students by introducing them to the construction trades and helping them to develop employability skills they will need in applying for and to succeed in apprenticeship programs. I helped to developed curriculum, and brought contractors and journeyman in to the classroom to work directly with the students. I helped bring labor and management together to deliver tailor made educational programs to the young men and women of the Lansing School District to give them a jump start on competing for and winning these positions in high paid, high skilled construction careers. I also solicited donations from contractors and supply houses for the program's use.  I am proud of the efforts of this program and of the fact that we are seeing students develop employability skills they will use throughout their careers. CRAFT has become a program that has helped several students get into high paying careers in the building trades apprenticeships.  This makes me proud of all the hard work.