CR's October 16, 2026 Times Standard Article: The Hope for the Future Rests with Our Students

Published on Oct 13 2026

I have written before that one of the most rewarding things I do as President of College of the Redwoods is go to as many classes as my schedule allows. I come away from every class visit invigorated and deeply thankful for the outstanding quality of our faculty and deeply appreciative of the diversity and multiplicity of our students. I also walk away from each class with a renewed sense of optimism for the future. 

I had an opportunity recently to attend an Introduction to Business class where I had a conversation about leadership with a group of wonderful students. While there, I was asked whether considering all the turmoil and challenges facing higher education, I still have hope for the future. The question reminded me of something Alia Dunphy, a former CR colleague and a current senior administrator at another community college, said to me about hope. As we talked about the future of higher education, Alia said that, in fact, hope may be all that we have as we face an uncertain future. 

So, yes, I do have hope, even as I see politicians sowing division and fueling fear, uncertainty, and anxiety. Despite the damage to America’s reputation around the world and the strain on our relationships with our closest allies, I still have hope.

I have hope because on November 3rd we have another chance to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, promote the general welfare of people, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Sound familiar to you? This is a paraphrasing of the preamble to our Constitution.

As readers know, I am proud that CR has long stood as a place where the ideals of democracy and democratic participation are sacrosanct. We created a college environment where faculty can teach their disciplines free from administrative censorship, where staff are encouraged to express their opinions without fear, and where students are inspired to engage with issues shaping our communities through participation, dialog, protest, and civil action. These freedoms depend on a democracy that protects them; that is why we encourage every eligible student and staff member to vote. We are asking them to help protect the very freedoms that make open inquiry, education, and meaningful civic participation possible.

Although the stakes in this election could not be higher, many young Americans lack confidence in the electoral process.

In his Harvard Political Review article, “The Future of Democracy Is Losing Trust in Elections,” Aiden Zagel examines this troubling skepticism. He draws from the Spring 2026 Harvard Youth Poll, which found that only 33% of Americans ages 18 to 29 believe the November 2026 congressional midterm elections will be conducted fairly and accurately. Interestingly, this lack of trust is bipartisan. 

This low trust score from the generation that will soon be America’s leaders is not by accident. Years of election denial and misinformation about voting fraud and vote tampering, and as well as concerted efforts to suppress turnout, mostly in minority districts, through intimidation or by undermining voters’ confidence that their votes will matter, have brought us here.

But our concern about Election Day extends beyond who wins or loses. It is about whether the institutions that protect public participation and hold power accountable remain strong. 

Getting our students to vote on November 3rd is only part of the challenge. It is important that we, as educators, prepare our students, regardless of political persuasion, to pay attention to the post-election process: how votes are counted, when outcomes are certified, and whether duly elected representatives are seated. 

Higher education has a particular stake in that question. Academic freedom, open dialogue, and the ability to question authority depend on a democratic system that values those freedoms and upholds both the laws that protect them and the norms that sustain a free and open society.

The same democratic safeguards that protect voters’ choices help protect the independence of public education. Losing free and fair elections would threaten far more than our ability to choose our leaders. It would put at risk the freedoms that shape our classrooms, our communities, and our daily lives.

Historically we have relied on congressional leaders to uphold their duty and ensure that the people have the final say on who will represent them in congress. However, in 2025, Speaker Mike Johnson delayed swearing in Arizona Democrat Adelita Grijalva for weeks after her special-election victory, leaving her constituents without representation. It reminds us that democracy depends on both legal safeguards and leaders willing to honor voters’ choices. We cannot allow that to happen again.

Today I have hope that America will once again stand for justice, equality, inclusion, morality, and ethical behavior at all levels.

Maya Angelou said, "When you do nothing, you feel overwhelmed and powerless. But when you get involved, you feel the sense of hope and accomplishment that comes from knowing you are working to make things better.” I have hope in our future because of the work of CR’s’ faculty and the commitment of our students to be a force for positive change.