Marin Independent Journal Editorial -
THE MEMBERS of the Marin County Civil Grand Jury did the public a service in their report on the status of the College of Marin Foundation, a body that has helped so many local students, but lately has been mired in controversy and upheaval.
It has been nearly a year since the mass resignation of the foundation's board and the assumption of control by COM President David Wain Coon and then-board president Diana Conti.
Since then, there's been uncertainty about the foundation's future, which does little to instill confidence from donors.
The grand jury, in its report, focuses on the current status of the foundation and its future, rather than dwelling on what went wrong. Mistakes clearly were made. Strategic measures went sour. Money was lost.
The two-member foundation board made sure scholarships were doled out again this year.
The grand jury report, an independent citizens' review, puts a lot of focus on the rebuilding of the foundation and making sure its community mission — helping students further their academic educations and training — is not diverted.
COM is now awaiting a review by the state attorney general's trust oversight division. Its recommendations should help create a new framework for rebuilding the foundation.
It appears possibly advantageous to create a partnership with the Marin Community Foundation and its financial management team to help reduce the foundation's future overhead. That connection also should help the COM foundation rebuild its board of directors.
In order to help restore donor confidence, the new board should be comprised of a broad-based panel of well-known community leaders, some alumni among them.
Both of those moves will help create distance from political influences involved in the controversy.
The grand jury is right to be concerned that money given to the foundation be spent in a manner that respects the wishes of the donors.
"Restoring donor faith in the donation process must underlie the road ahead," the grand jury report states. "The goal of all concerned should be to restore donor faith to fundraising efforts and generate new donations for those programs and individuals within the college in need of financial support. The needs still exist."
In fact, the need is growing with every increase in tuition and every increase in the long-term cost of student loans.
An underscore of the need was the Associated Students of College of Marin, the college's primary student organization, which offered $30,000 to cover scholarships if the foundation could not fulfill its important role.
The sooner the foundation makes a fresh start, the better; for students and their educational opportunities and achievement and for donors who want to rest comfortably that their generosity is being invested in those students.
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