SBCC PIO
By Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) announces the selection of three finalists for the position of Superintendent/President. The finalists for the position are Erika Endrijonas, Ph.D., current Superintendent/President of Pasadena City College; Richard Storti, Ed.D., current Executive Vice Chancellor of San Mateo County Community College District; and Katrina VanderWoude Ed.D., current Vice Chancellor of Los Angeles Community College District.
Read more about the Superintendent/President candidates here.
The candidates were chosen by a 19-member screening committee comprised of credit and non-credit students, faculty, classified professionals and administrators; the SBCC Foundation; community members; and members of the SBCC Board of Trustees. The Superintendent/President search committee unanimously identified the finalists through an extensive screening process that began in November, 2022. Since January 20, 2023, the committee reviewed 36 candidate applications and conducted Zoom interviews of 14 candidates, followed by in-person interviews of eight semi-finalists.
Details on forthcoming public forums and final interviews will be announced later this week. The forums will be offered for viewing in-person and virtually, and will also be recorded. SBCC employees, students and interested community members are invited to attend the forums. An online survey will be available after the forums for all who wish to offer feedback.
SBCC has been on a search for a successor to Utpal Goswami, Ph.D., who resigned in July, 2021. The college has been led by Interim Superintendent/President, Kindred Murillo, Ed.D. since August, 2021. Dr. Murillo came out of retirement to serve in this temporary capacity.
For more information about the Superintendent/President Search, please visit the SBCC Search Committee website.
Is it too much to ask for local candidates to lead local institutions in SB? SBCC, SBPD and other institutions have in recent years chosen outsiders to lead who are impressive on paper then tread water or fall flat on their face. If I was a major donor to SBCC, I would be skeptical of a leader with little to no knowledge of the community or institution parachuting in, no matter how many letters they have after their name.
Coming for retirement in Santa Barbara? Why would these professionals, already presidents or vice chancellors of large community colleges want to switch? A few years here and they’ll move on or retire, just like the last 5 in the past ten years (Gaskin, Beebe, Goswami, Murrillo and Benjamin (she served two interim terms of one year). What is the solution — groom leaders from within who have a history of working at the College, and understand the community or find leaders in other Communities that are not Presidents, but Directors of Student Services, or other non top jobs, to come here as a promotion and long term commitment. The latter describes the esteemed former President, Peter R. MacDougall, who served here 21 years and greatly enhanced the college. The subsequent promotion of 35 year employee (he began as an instructor) John Romo after MacDougall retired led to 6 more years of advancement of the college. Ms. Vander Woude comes the closest to the MacDougall model, serving as a Vice Chancellor of LACCC. I’m rooting for her and hope if chosen stays here for a minimum of 5 years to at least establish control of the college. The every two year turnover (or worse) of top administrators is a culture now at the college, with no long term stability, goal setting and goal accomplishment. Take a long hard look at your elected SBCC board member, as this team is enabling the chaos at the college. And we’re paying for it.
Hey ChillinGrillin-good point but if no one local applies, then the hiring committee can’t do much about it. I think that’s what happened with recent SBPD chief hiring process.
However, in this case for SBCC, one of the applicants, Erika Endrijonas, is sort of a local because she worked as a dean at SBCC a while back, so she knows the school, knows the community (and is an outstanding person- a great candidate.)