Tour teaches Leno his lesson

Jay Leno had made light of community colleges before, but when he insinuated that those in the sex trade may be community college students, that was the last straw for Betty Young.

Young, president of Northwest State Community College in Archbold, Ohio, first reacted by writing “The Tonight Show” host a letter of frustration. But when Northwest’s public relations director asked her, “What makes you think he’ll actually read your letter?” Young changed her tactic.

Speaking Tuesday at Moberly Area Community College, “Dr. Betty” described how she decked herself out in full-blown graduation regalia and sat astride her 1992 Harley-Davidson motorcycle to pose for photos that were to be attached to the letter. The photos were then picked up by newspapers and later became the college president’s image.

As her celebrity grew, so did support from students and educators. “I was being called into service,” Young said, “for all of our colleges.”

So began the 10-day “Lessons for Leno” tour that started on Sept. 19 with a speech at Northwest. From there, Young rode her Harley to 10 community colleges in the Midwest, South and Southwest, championing community colleges. The tour ended in Burbank, Calif., with a conversation with Leno after the filming of “The Tonight Show.” Young said Leno was rather apologetic and receptive.

“We’ve not heard a single word since we’ve been there,” Young told a crowd at the Moberly college’s auditorium. “So far so good.”

Young was in Moberly at the invitation of college president Evelyn Jorgenson. Sporting a Harley-Davidson T-shirt beneath her pink blazer, Young gave a video presentation of her tour and encouraged others to be bold in sending similar messages.

Jorgenson is familiar with the bad image given community colleges. “Sometimes people have the opinion that if you attend an open-admission school, you couldn’t get in somewhere else,” she said before Young’s speech.

But students often attend community colleges because they are less expensive, closer to home, have smaller class sizes and offer greater flexibility, Jorgenson said.

A negative perception of community colleges also affects state funding, Jorgenson emphasized in a brief closing speech. In relation to life sciences funding, community college administrators felt as though “we had to claw our way through to get any recognition at all” during the past legislative session, she said.

Young is considering hitting the road again, this time heading east. Possible destination: David Letterman.