Three Years? Wow.

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Yesterday marked my three-year anniversary at West.  Yes, October 1, 2016, I officially arrived on campus.  None of you really knew who I was because there was no opportunity to meet the candidates before the Chancellor made his selection for the next President of West Los Angeles College.  As a result, I was basically "that guy from Montana" with a year's interim presidency in Oxnard.  Needless to say, the count on my personal website increased significantly in the days after the announcement of my appointment.😄

Now, after three years on the job, working with each of you in pursuit of our vision to be "a gateway of success for every student," I have only two words to say.

Thank you.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as the president of West Los Angeles College and for the opportunity to daily work with individuals like you who are committed to your roles as educators and whose sole focus is our students.  Together, we have accomplished much of which to be proud:
  • Continued enrollment growth (posting a 6% increase last year);
  • Hiring of outstanding faculty and support staff in multiple disciplines and across the campus;
  • Our Dental Hygiene program, the most successful baccalaureate offering at any community college in California;
  • The attainment of a $12 million Department of Labor grant, the largest in the College's history;
  • The introduction of Climate Change Studies as the only program of its kind on any American community college campus, and the concurrent goal to establish WLAC as a sustainable institution;
  • New programs and services, such as the Welcome Center, the College and Career Preparation Division, and the Learning Center, with student-centered programs that focus on recruitment, retention, and community outreach;
  • A productive partnership with Year Up;
  • The resurrection of the West Los Angeles College Foundation;
  • Strong, vital programs in Career-Technical Education--as evidenced, for example, by Film/TV Production (Hollywood CPR), Allied Health, Child Development, and Aviation Technology--that help our students attain economic mobility through the achievement of jobs that provide a living wage;
  • Significant expansion of our dual-credit offerings at local high schools;
  • Continued fiscal stability;
  • The celebration of 50 years of service to Los Angeles;
  • An online program that is recognized as one of the top three-enrolling online initiatives in California community colleges; and
  • Two new buildings under construction, with a third--the Library/Student Union--in the planning stages.
So much to celebrate, to be sure.  And so much yet to do to ensure that our students receive the best possible education to prepare them for a volatile, rapidly-changing world.  I look forward to continuing the journey with you all.