Jody Wadhwa: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: NorthbrookWebsite: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Oakton CollegeAge: Candidate did not respond.Family: Married,3 children,7 grandchildrenOccupation: Retired . Was chief Operating Officer of E-Z Por Corp.Education: Bachelor of Arts in Economics Political Science, Punjab UniversityCivic involvement: Past president Wheeling Rotary Club; Director Indo-American Center in Chicago (Helping to solve social,economic, medical and legal problems of South Asians); currently serving as Trustee of Oakton Community College.Elected offices held: Trustee of Oakton Community CollegeHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoCandidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Offering excellence in education at an affordable cost to students.Key Issue 2 Offerring vocational training to marginal students who do not fulfill or are not interested in traditional baccalaureate degrees.Key Issue 3 Help seniors and other returning students to retrain or hone their skills.Questions Answers With enrollment up at my many community colleges, it can be challenging to keep pace as far as available classroom/lab space, the number of qualified teachers and available course work options. How would you manage that?I would further investigate better use of faculty and classroom facilities by re-scheduling classes to make use of off peak times.In tough economic times, many students (and working professionals) turn to a community college for its educational value. How do you ensure that a person's financial sacrifice equates into an educational benefit?Our curriculum should be designed to keep in mind the future employment needs and opportunities of our students. All our curriculum should be designed with that in focus.Is a tax rate increase needed and, if so, how do you justify it?Before asking for a tax increase, we have to look at all our expenses, discretionary and others. After deliberate scrutiny and based on only those findings of genuine need, should tax increases be sought. We should make sure that 80-85% of our budget dollars are spent delivering education directly to our students. To date, OCC has always been fiscally and financially responsible.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?OCC has been sensitive to our district's diverse population. It has always been our policy to reflect this diversity. We have made concentrated efforts to reflect this diversity through hiring of faculty, staff and administration, and it is evident.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the park board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.Candidate did not respond.