President Since ’85 : Golden West’s Fred Garcia to Retire June 30

Fred Garcia, president of Golden West College since July 1, 1985, said Thursday that he will retire early and leave the Huntington Beach community college next June 30.

Garcia, 58, cited personal reasons for wanting to step down early.

“I’ve been in education 30 years now, and things are going well here,” Garcia said. “So I thought I’d leave at a high water point and retire and start enjoying some things I’d like to do.”

The Coast Community College District Board of Trustees approved his request for early retirement on Wednesday night, Garcia said.

College district officials said Thursday that Garcia’s normal retirement pay, which comes from a state fund, will be augmented by an annuity. Such extra payments have been given to administrators who have retired early in recent years, district officials said. Overall retirement pay reflects years of service and three years of highest pay. Figures on Garcia’s projected retirement pay were not available from the state. His current salary as president is $71,478.

‘An Outstanding Job’

Chancellor David A. Brownell said Garcia’s early retirement was not sought. “He has been discussing this for some time,” Brownell said Thursday. “I can tell you that the district loses a very good administrator in losing Fred. He’s done an outstanding job.”

Garcia also said he was under no pressure from the college district to retire early. “People have been supportive at all levels,” he said. “This is a nice place to work--a beautiful campus, a loyal staff and good students. I will miss it.”

Golden West, like most community colleges in California, has reported declining enrollment in the 1980s. At its peak, in the 1981-82 school year, Golden West had 23,112 students. The decline has continued each year, and enrollment now stands at 14,592.

But Garcia said the decline reflects the smaller number of students graduating from high school in recent years, and that Golden West College had expected decreasing enrollment.

Since joining the Coast Community College District in 1965, Garcia has held administrative posts at both Golden West and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. In 1985, he was serving as dean of admissions at Golden West when the college’s president, Lee Stevens, was reassigned to a district position. The board of trustees appointed Garcia acting president. A year later, the board gave him permanent status after a formal search procedure.

Predecessor Under Fire

When Stevens was reassigned in May, 1985, he had been under fire from faculty on his campus. In January, 1985, 64% of the Golden West faculty gave Stevens a “no confidence” vote.

Under Garcia, there have been no signs of faculty or student unrest.

A resident of Huntington Beach, Garcia began his teaching career at the high school level in 1958. He was elected to the board of the Garden Grove Unified School District in 1970 and served until 1978.

“My health is good now,” said Garcia, who suffered a heart attack in 1982. “And I don’t have any symptoms of heart trouble. . . . I’m very energetic, and I look forward to enjoying many things. I probably won’t do anything the first year after I retire but read and relax. Then I may take up consulting (in education) or maybe go into something totally new.”

Garcia and his wife, Janice, have a son and a daughter.