For the past two years, Marigmen, 21, has taken classes at De Anza College's automotive technology department. He went to other colleges, but his teachers and coworkers told him if he wanted to be the best, he had to go to De Anza.

Marigmen quit his mechanic's job and took out loans to become a full-time student. He plans to complete his training next June. But he may have to change his plan because De Anza's award winning auto tech program, which Marigmen and his classmates are so proud of, is feeling the pinch of the economy.

Three of the program's seven instructors will retire this June, and De Anza is unlikely to fill the positions with full-time instructors because the state's $38.2 billion budget crisis has forced the Foothill­De Anza Community College District to instate a hiring freeze.

Although the department offers evening and night classes, the full-time professional classes Marigmen is taking are offered only during the day. Since the three retiring instructors are teaching the core curriculum, their resignation will severely affect the program.

"If the school decides not to hire new instructors, it means the end of our program," says Marigmen, who drives 40 minutes every day from South San Francisco to De Anza.

Marigmen's concerns are shared by his classmates and the program's faculty.

"If our program is cut down, where are we going to get the training we need? Where can people find certified mechanics to work on their cars?" asks junior Anny Ting. "The survival of our program is an issue the whole community should care about."

The three retiring instructors—Bob Leigh, Gary Lewis and Les Schwoob—have offered to retrieve their resignation. But De Anza is still considering whether to accept their offer because replacing them with part-time instructors will cost the school less money.

"I cannot retire in peace if we cannot keep the program alive," says Lewis, who has been teaching at the auto tech department since the program started in 1976.

"Part-time instructors will have trouble getting familiar with laboratory operations, machines and students," says Lewis, 61. "After teaching here for so many years, you build a community. It is the connection with people that counts."

While cars are getting more sophisticated and more of them are on the road than ever, there are fewer places for mechanics to get professional training. Many high schools are closing their auto workshops. And although some community colleges do provide automotive technology classes, their quality varies.

The high-quality training in De Anza's automotive technology program has attracted prospective mechanics from all over the United States.

The program—certified by the National Automotive Technicians Education Foundation—offers three tracks: automotive machining and engine repair technology, automotive and advanced engine performance technology, and automotive chassis and powertrain technology. It takes one year to finish each track, which is about 1,000 hours of lecture and laboratory instruction.

"We want to make sure all our graduates are qualified to get the job, do the job and keep the job," says department head Michael Brandt, who has been teaching in the program for 28 years.

The program is also famous for its faculty and facility. All the instructors are certified by the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. The 10,000-square-foot department building boasts computer-equipped classrooms and a state-of-the-art body shop. The shop includes workstations with 16 lifts, a powertrain lab, four dynamometers and four alignment stations.

"A lot of people still think only not-too-bright people are mechanics," says auto tech instructor Phil Green. "But you've got to use your brains to operate these machines."

De Anza automotive students have won many awards, including four national championships at the Plymouth Trouble Shooting Contest, the highest-level competition for automotive mechanics.

At least 10,000 people have graduated from the program.

In addition to the professional tracks, the department provides introductory and advanced classes in the evening for people to explore the field or further their careers.

Brandt attributes the program's success to the faculty's commitment. Some instructors, like Brandt himself, are graduates of the program. Some have been teaching for more than 35 years.

"Our instructors often stay up late to help out students," Brandt says. "They can make much more money working in the industry. But they choose to teach because they enjoy teaching."

The faculty's devotion has created a family feeling in the department.

De Anza's annual autocross, hosted by the department, is like a family reunion. Many graduates return to help current students prepare for one of the nation's biggest amateur car races, with about 275 cars driving around cones in the college's parking lot B.

The annual autocross, also known as the De Anza Duel, has always been an exciting event, but this year's car race on May 17 was shrouded in sadness because students and faculty were uncertain of the automotive program's future.

Many have tried to dissuade the school from hiring part-time instructors as a solution.

"It's impossible to ask qualified people to work for that little money and no benefits at all," says Green. "And it's impossible to keep the continuity of our program with part-time instructors. People should think about what kind of education they want their mechanics to have."

For more information about De Anza's automotive technology program, call 408.864.8768 or visit www.autotech.deanza.fhda.edu.