Golden West College Head Is Reassigned

Golden West College President Lee Stevens will move to an administrative post with the governing Coast Community College District this summer, the latest in a series of changes in top academic leadership in the 53,000-student district.

Trustees announced Wednesday that Stevens will replace Correllan J. Thompson, vice chancellor of business affairs for the district, who is retiring July 1. Fred Garcia, dean of admissions at Golden West, will replace Stevens as acting president June 1.

A new president will be selected by next March, the trustees said.

The move is the third change in presidents in the three-college district since a majority on the board of trustees was elected on Nov. 8, 1983, with the backing of the teacher union. Three new trustees were elected to the five-member board after the old board laid off almost 100 faculty members early in 1983 in a budget-cutting move. The union said the layoffs weren’t necessary.

A subsequent recall effort against the old board failed to make the ballot, but the recall move is widely credited with leading to the upset in the regular election later in 1983 of the then-incumbents.

In a controversial move, the previous board of trustees extended by one year each the contracts of the three college presidents, including Stevens. The lame-duck action came on Nov. 16, 1983, a week after the election and a few weeks before the new board was to be sworn in. When the new board majority came in, among its first actions was an unsuccessful effort to rescind the extension of the college presidents’ contracts by the lame-duck board.

Quit Before Contracts Ran Out

Two of the presidents, however, resigned before their extended contracts were to expire.

Coastline Community College President John Buller announced his resignation in late November, 1983, to become a dean at Orange Coast College. Orange Coast College President Bernard Luskin resigned last July to become executive vice president of the Washington-based American Assn. of Community and Junior Colleges.

Stevens was the only remaining president who had been named by former trustees. His contract, as amended by the old board, does not expire until June, 1986.

Armando Ruiz, chairman of the board of trustees, said in an interview Thursday that the departure of all three college presidents had nothing to do with the new majority on the board of trustees. “John Buller was not forced out by the board,” said Ruiz, who noted that Buller’s resignation came after the new majority had been elected but before it was sworn into office.

Ruiz also said that Luskin’s resignation last summer had nothing to do with the new board majority. “Bernie (Luskin) left of his own free will,” said Ruiz.

‘Not a Demotion’

As for Stevens, Ruiz said, “This is not a demotion for him. It’s a lateral move, and he keeps the same salary. Lee Stevens’ background at Kansas City was similar to this job he’s going into, and it’s an appropriate use of his knowledge.”

Before coming to Golden West College, Stevens was a vice chancellor in the Metropolitan Community Colleges District of Kansas City.

Ruiz said Garcia would continue as acting president until next spring.

Stevens earlier this year came under fire from the faculty at Golden West College. In late January, 64% of the 179 faculty members voting cast “no confidence” ballots against Stevens. Stevens’ brother, Larry, who is chancellor at the neighboring Saddleback Community College District, also had received a “no confidence” vote from his faculty a few months earlier.

The Saddleback teachers are still trying to oust Larry Stevens, but the Saddleback Community College District board of trustees has repeatedly expressed its support of the embattled chancellor.

Proud of Record

Lee Stevens, in an interview Thursday, said he isn’t sure why the Golden West faculty cast the “no confidence” vote. He said he is pleased to be going into the vice chancellor’s position and proud of the record he is leaving at Golden West. “Our students (at Golden West) have one of the best transfer records (to four-year universities) of any in the state, and our vocational programs are outstanding,” said Stevens. “The college is in good shape, and it is time to let someone else take the helm.”

Stevens, 49, lives in the city of Orange. He holds a doctorate in educational administration from Oregon State University and is the author of three college-level mathematics textbooks.

Ruiz said that Garcia, as acting president, will not be precluded from applying for the permanent job of president.

Acting presidents of Coastline Community College and Orange Coast College, however, were passed over in recent months when they applied for the full-time positions.

Ruiz said the board of trustees will work closely with the Golden West Faculty Senate in arranging a selection process for the college’s new president.