It is time to act on the future of higher education in Santa Fe. On Aug. 3, the polls close on Santa Fe Community College's bond election, a measure with the power to preserve, protect and improve higher education for our community without increasing taxes.

Aside from providing much-needed support to maintain and upgrade SFCC's Richards Avenue campus, the bond funds will help the college start a higher-education center, a place where colleges and universities from around the state can come together to offer local residents affordable bachelor's and master's degrees.

I believe collaboration and partnership among New Mexico's institutions of higher learning is the best way to serve students while also addressing issues of proliferation and inefficiency in the state system.

Community colleges are only as strong as the people who support them. And sadly, community colleges across the country, including SFCC, have come under immense pressure as enrollment numbers skyrocket and funding declines. Community colleges rely on state and local appropriations for about 60 percent of their funding in order to keep tuition affordable for students. The return on this investment is significant.

The community college trains the majority of our nurses, emergency medical technicians and teachers, to name only a few. We offer area high school students a leg up in their college studies through a dual-credit program. This spring, a record-breaking 360 students earned some 380 degrees and certificates from SFCC and as a result, many of these graduates will find better-paying jobs or will move seamlessly into four-year programs to earn higher degrees. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, community colleges return an average of $3 to the public for every dollar invested.

Enrollment at Santa Fe Community College has surged an unprecedented 20 percent in the past year, trumping the national average. Classes are bursting at the seams. Meanwhile, the college has watched its state funding decline by 14 percent.

Stucco around the campus is cracking and a roof must be replaced. Pipes are deteriorating. Teaching resources are being spread thin. Media arts and engineering students are learning on outdated versions of software.

Since 1983, SFCC has served Santa Fe residents with exemplary and affordable higher education. The college relies on assistance from bond issues in order to meet the growing demands of the community for job-skills training, career education and a strong foundation for transfer to four-year colleges and universities. The Aug. 3 bond is a measure to directly address the most pressing preservation and maintenance needs on campus. The bond also includes funds designated to mitigate the college's energy consumption and lessen its carbon footprint.

About $12 million of the bond will fund the construction of a higher-education center, which will bring four-year institutions together with SFCC to provide an affordable, collaborative pathway for local students to earn a bachelor's or master's degree. I believe the higher-education center is the best way in this economy to leverage higher-education resources for the benefit of students.

I hope voters will support the community college and invest in its future. Efficiently providing post-secondary education for more than 25 years, SFCC has established a track record of innovation and success. Now is the time to safeguard the current campus facilities and ensure educational opportunity for all who seek it in the future.

Support the SFCC Bond Election.

Andrea Bermúdez, Ed.D., is chairman of the Learning Center District Board and member of Santa Fe Community College's governing board.