Where in the world is Peter Smith?

If you've ever wondered what is Peter Smith up to these days, wonder no further.

Smith, the founding president of CSU Monterey Bay, has been appointed the Orkand Endowed Chair and Professor of Innovative Practices in Higher Education at University of Maryland University College.

Smith began its two-year tenure on April 4. In his new role, Smith will collaborate with the college's academic leadership and collegiate faculty to strengthen the university’s strategic position and its learning and support services. He will also serve on the provost’s Academic Innovation Advisory Council, which will be established to help guide the academic direction of the university.

The Orkand Chair was established through an endowment from Donald S. Orkand, founder of the Orkand Corporation and former chair of UMUC’s Board of Visitors, to advance research and scholarship at the university by bringing scholars of national repute to the institution.

Smith was responsible for building CSUMB from the ground up during his tenure from 1995 to 2005. He guided the institution through all stages of accreditation and raised nearly $100 million from external sources for the development of academic buildings and programs.

For more information about the appointment, click here.

Alisal High Students having a blast in DC

No, we haven't heard from them directly, but you just have to look at their pictures and their families' postings on Facebook: These kids are having a ball. Even before inauguration arrived. They say that pictures are more expressive than a thousand words, so here you have it.

Alisal High Students are off to DC

They woke up early early to catch the bus to San Francisco International airport. Bound for Washington DC, a delegation of about 75 people from Alisal were expected to attend the second inauguration of Barack Obama.

I expect to get lots of updates -- including if some of the members of the delegation will be able to visit the White House.

Going to DC for the inauguration?

Alisal High teacher Ruben Pizarro is taking a group of 60 students to Washington DC to witness the presidential inauguration. Anybody else out there going? Give me a ring, we'd love to hear from you. (831) 753-6755. Or email cmelendez@montereyherald.com.

Monterey Peninsula College trustees settle on final finalist

No final decision has been made, MPC trustees caution, but after careful deliberation, they have scheduled a visit to....

The Wenatchee Valley College District in Central Washington to gather more information about Walter Tribley. Tribley is currently vice president of instruction at the district, as well as the administrator of the Omak campus.

Tribley was interviewed by the MPC community last Thursday, and some believed he was the least likely to make the final cut because of his lack of knowledge of California community college system and the Monterey region in particular. Other candidates in the running were Larry Buckley, interim president of San Bernardino Valley College; Angela Fairchilds, president of Woodland Community College; and Kathryn Jeffrey, president of Sacramento City College. 

The results of the site visit will be discussed at the regular board meeting on October 24, 2012.

That one came out of left field for me. I wonder how others in the MPC communities see it. 

Monterey Peninsula College professor shares his views on superintendent candidates

David Clemens, English professor, coordinator of the Monterey Peninsula College Great Books Program, and blogger extraordinaire, attended the presentation of all four candidates for the job of superintendent.

I asked if he would share his impressions with me -- and the readers -- about the candidates, and he wrote a detailed analysis of each. Too good to reduce to a two-sentence quote, I told him, and he graciously agreed to let me share it in my blog.

Astute observations, indeed. Here they are:

The sad part is that all the candidates are in economic survival mode, and that could lead to the extinction of all small classes as well as our nationally renowned Great Books Program and our new Creative Writing Program. Literature classes are already being rationed and eliminated. Losing the traditional curriculum, I believe, is ultimately suicidal but in survival mode, no one looks past the present crisis 

Each candidate was asked to describe where they saw the community college in five years. This question was suggested by Clemens.

As (Larry) Buckley noted, the Board of Governors president doubts Proposition 30 will pass and that will mean possibly 25 colleges closing. And if the BOG provides relief by suspending regulations, that could make it even worse because it will be easier to pink slip full time, tenured faculty and replace them with adjuncts, para-educators, tutors, and software.

Angela Fairchilds
Pros: Personable, used humor, energetic, somewhat connected, some candor
Cons: Often described a problem rather than provided a solution, e.g., “we need to build back FTEs.” How? “We’ll have no money without Prop 30.” And so . . ... ? “We are no longer the institution that we were.” What are we? How do we establish criteria for filling positions? “Set priorities." Lacked experience with program discontinuance.

Kathryn Jeffrey 
Pros: Smart and funny. 
Cons: Too much flattery. (She went on and on about how great MPC is and how well the college functions) Seemed to lose steam halfway through, fuzzy response (on some contracts and financial models), not astute about online—my notes say “getting really confusing.” 

Larry Buckley 
Pros: My choice. Academic Ph.D. He was honest and candid as well as well-connected in Sacramento... He said what I’ve been saying, “what is most important to us with the resources we have?” “We have to have a new deal” (finance model). 
Buckley was straightforward, didn’t mince words, and had cogent ideas. He didn’t seem to be applying in hopes of retiring in Monterey. He was light years ahead of the other candidates in his grasp of the political and educational situation. He seems to have the guts to make the cuts. 
Cons: I doubt I would like all his decisions, especially convening a committee to do curricular triage. We did it before, the Instructional Priorities Committee, and it featured “the usual suspects,” the faculty identified as reliable who are on every important committee. It was very powerful and very political. 

Walter Tribley 
Pros: Academic Ph.D. Good scientific knowledge, apparent support of liberal arts. 
Cons: Nervous. Simply not enough knowledge of California and MPC landscape. Support for liberal arts seemed to evaporate with “funding will play a large and disproportionate role” in prioritizing. Referred to “para-educators.” Maybe too dazzled by educational novelties?

Can you judge a presidential candidate by its theatrical prowess?

And I'm not talking about Obama or Romney.

Today was day three of presidential candidate forums at Monterey Peninsula College, and like Trustee Rick Johnson said "having four qualified candidates to choose from is a good problem to have."

Not to say they're all exactly alike. How could they be? Yes, they're all highly qualified. Angela Fairchilds, Kathryn Jeffery, and Larry Buckley have all shown they have strengths. They all seemed to have done their homework about MPC. Another candidate will be interviewed tomorrow, and I expect his abilities will at least be comparable. 

They all have performed differently before a large audience, though. And you won't find anybody who tells you who's the strongest in their mind so far. They'll have to work with the winner, no matter who s/he is.

But after witnessing the forums, I wonder: will stage performance translate into good leadership?

In other words, if a candidate performs less stellarly than another, does that mean she or he is less qualified to lead?  Can a good leader be a poor stage performer?

Or is "charming personality" another characteristic we're seeking in a leader?

And I'm not talking about Mitt or Obama.

MPC and the meaning of "shared governance"

I'll confess. "Shared governance" is a concept I hear often, but I'm never quite sure what it means. Or what college administrators mean by it.

So I decided to be a good reporter and I looked it up. And found this excellent article about the topic on The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Worth noting: "'Shared' governance has come to connote two complementary and sometimes overlapping concepts: giving various groups of people a share in key decision-making processes, often through elected representation; and allowing certain groups to exercise primary responsibility for specific areas of decision making."

Enjoy!

Alisal students dream of Washington D.C.

About 60 students from the government class of Ruben Pizarro at Alisal High have launched a fundraiser effort to pay for their trip to Washington D.C. to attend the inauguration of the next U.S. president.

"The opportunity for these seniors from Alisal High School to witness firsthand what they are currently studying in their Government classes will leave a lasting impression on their young minds and certainly shape the way they view their country’s government," Pizarro said when announcing the event.

"Dreams of DC" is the name of the club, and they have until Nov. 5 -- the day before the election -- to raise as much money as possible so they can all give their down payment on their trip. They'll be holding car washes, food sales, raffles, talent shows, carnivals, and do all within their power to get money for their trip.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that not many people get to be a part of," said in a statement Laura Padilla, a senior government student,

"This trip can plant a seed in us that will make us grow into more proactive and involved citizens," senior Sergio Reyes added.

The group would go to DC from Jan 18 through Jan 22, which would cost almost $2,000 per students. In addition to witnessing the inauguration, the trip would include a visit to the White House, the Smithsonian Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, the works. Many of the students have had very limited opportunities of travel, so they're certainly eager to go across the country to attend a historic event.

Dreams if DC is asking for donations. They are tax deductible and can be send to Alisal High School, c/o Washington DC trip, 777 Williams Road, Salinas, CA 93905.

Go Trojans! Start saving for thick coats, Washington in the winter's mighty cold.

Dianne Harrison gets a 20 percent salary increase

True, the salary increase that was approved for her new position as president of CSU Northdrige was only of 10 percent -- to be paid for with private money.

So as president of CSU Northridge, Dianne Harrison will make $324,500, 10 percent more than her predecessor, who earned $295,000.

But when you take into consideration that Harrison was earning $270,315 at Cal State Monterey Bay, it's really a 20 percent salary increase she's getting.

Harrison and two other CSU incoming presidents are slated to earn 10 percent more than their predecessors, something that's not sitting well with many, even though the money will come from private sources.

When I interviewed Harrison before she left, she said the salary presidents earn has to be competitive -- not just in California, but nationwide. And when compared with other presidents in other states -- such as Gordon Gee at Ohio State-- $325,000 doesn't seem that extravagant.

Harrison also told me her salary should not be considered an increase from her current job, but from the position she was taking on. After all, the size of the student population at CSUN is almost four times that of CSUMB. There's got to be a lot more meetings at that university.

Plus, she said all this talk about salaries -- a miniscule portion of the budget -- is just distracting.

I'll give her that last point. When you consider the total expenditures of the university system, complaining about presidential salaries doesn't seem worth the effort.

But we can't ignore how wrong it feels to see these people keep making more and more money, when the rest of us have to endure furloughs and pay cuts. When students have to keep paying more and more, when financial aid is being cut and classes eliminated. Financially it may not mean much but symbolically it says a lot, and that's what infuriates people.

CSU trustees to vote on pay for Dianne Harrison, Eduardo Ochoa

California State University trustees will discuss what to do if Gov. Brown's tax measure fails in November -- raise tuition, cut employees compensation.

They'll also vote on how much to pay newly appointed campus presidents. Dianne Harrison, who was appointed to lead CSU Northridge, would receive the same annual salary of her predecessor ($295,000) but receive an annual supplement provided by the university's private foundation of $29,500.

Incoming interim president Eduardo Ochoa would receive the same annual salary Harrison was receiving, $270,315.

CSUMB interim president gives keynote address at Cal State L.A.

Eduardo Ochoa, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education and incoming interim president at Cal State Monterey Bay, addressed the Class of 2012 at Cal State L.A.’s June 16 commencement.

In his address, Ochoa addressed the changing global landscape, and how the most important skill a student must learn these days is the ability to continue learning.

"The most valuable and enduring competency you have acquired is that you have learned how to learn. You’re starting your adult life in a globalized society undergoing rapid and accelerating technological change. In this information age, most of the specific knowledge you have obtained will become obsolete in a few years, with the sum total of human knowledge doubling every two to three years.

In addition, people entering the workforce today are expected to change careers—not just jobs, but careers—five to seven times during their lifetime. So in all likelihood, you will be applying lifelong learning skills you have developed in your college years to acquire knowledge that has not been created yet and to apply it in occupations that do not yet exist."

Advisory group on MPC presidential search to meet

The Monterey Peninsula College advisory committee on the president's search is holding its first meeting Tuesday, May 8, at 1:30pm in the Administration Building’s Large Conference Room.

Members of the public and MPC faculty, staff and students are allowed to attend the meeting and have an opportunity to speak for three minutes at the beginning of the meeting.

There will be a presentation by Robert Griffin and Carl Ehmann of Professional Personnel Leasing on how the process will unfold.

The tea leaves on Hartnell's new president

My trusted friend Scuttlebutt tells me Willard Lewellen, president of West Hills colleges, is more likely to become Hartnell's new president, by a 4-3 vote. Wanting to please ag leaders, who are rooting for Lewallen, two female candidates and two of the males will pick him. The two Latina  females will side with Betty Inclán, president of Berkeley City College. One of the Latino males could break the male pact that's been dominating the meetings and vote with the Latinas.

Ah, the dilemma. To vote with your ethnic group or your gender? That's the million dollar question. 

And before anyone comes screaming at me because the breakdown on votes and how I'm reporting based on ethnicity/gender, etc, I want to reiterate: I'm not creating the news. I'm just reporting on it. There's some very deep divisions at Hartnell, and they won't magically go away just because I chose not to report on them, or because people decide to look the other way.

Could a Hartnell president be named Wednesday?

Hartnell trustees will discuss the presidential search at a special meeting Wednesday, May 2. I'm wondering if they'll be ready to announce the next president. 

Sources tell me trustees have visited at least two campuses in the process to vet their candidates -- Berkeley and West Hills -- and "the board plans to make an announcement of the selected candidate to assume the President/Superintendent position in early May," Hartnell Board President Erica Padilla-Chavez told me last week via an email message.

The three finalists are Willard Lewallen, president of West Hills College; Betty Inclan, president of Berkeley City College, and Christopher Villa, vice president of Student Services of Fresno City College.
 

Presidents, president wanna-bes and the U.S. education system

My esteemed colleague Kathryn Baron, co-writer of Top-Ed blog of the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, posts on her blog today the proclamation by John F. Kennedy designating American Education week to mark the importance of education -- not just by those who can afford it.

"Let us not think of education only terms of its costs, but rather in terms of the infinite potential of the human mind that can be realized through education. Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation."

Interesting post only a few hours after Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum has been quoted criticizing the role of the federal government in education, calling for what can arguably be described as massive roll backs or even the disappearance altogether of the federal role in education. He wants parents to be in charge of education, not the federal government.

Sounds reasonable, right? There's already a program for that. It's called home school. And thousands of families already avail themselves to that. More power to them. Do we actually need a mandate?

People love to criticize education in this country, say that it's "broken," etc, etc. Yes, there's a lot that's wrong, but there's a lot more that's right. California has a 25 percent drop out rate. Which means 75 percent of students graduate from high school. Three out of four. Yes, more should be done, but does a 75 percent passing rate (more than needed to approve parcel taxes) translate into a broken system? Hardly.