SANTA ANA : Hiring of College Officials Defended

The chancellor of the Rancho Santiago Community College District defended the addition of three new vice chancellors at a time when the district is facing a $6-million shortfall, saying that such a reorganization is imperative to the running of what is now the fastest-growing community college district in Orange County.

“We needed to do this because our resources were being used inappropriately,” Chancellor Vivian Blevins said.

At Monday night’s meeting of the district board, Trustee Shirley Ralston criticized the addition of three vice chancellor posts to head the district’s three campuses, saying it would cost the district an additional $200,000.

But Blevins said there would be a savings because three managerial employees were taking early retirement and a fourth had resigned.

Trustees approved the selection of two of the vice chancellors at the Monday meeting. But in a nod to criticism from Latino community leaders when word of the appointments surfaced last week, trustees decided to conduct a national search for a vice chancellor to head the main Santa Ana campus.

“We will be looking for a candidate with a special sensitivity to the diversity of Santa Ana,” said Blevins, adding that trustees will ask community leaders representing various groups to serve on the search committee.

“We are very much concerned that we respond to community needs,” Blevins explained. “Minorities are the majority in Santa Ana.”

Trustees named Dean Strenger, currently dean of technology and science at Rancho’s Santa Ana campus, to be vice chancellor of the Orange campus, where enrollment hit 7,000 students this spring. He also will hold the title of dean of instructional services at the campus.

Kathy Mennealy, who is now the dean of continuing education for Rancho’s adult learning center in Orange, was appointed vice chancellor and dean of educational services at Rancho’s continuing education center at Centennial Regional Park in Santa Ana.

The new Santa Ana campus vice chancellor also would have the dual role of dean of instructional services. If the district’s financial picture improves in future years, Blevins said, she hopes to hire deans for all three campuses.

For now, though, the district continues to try to trim $6 million from its 1992-93 budget, to bring it in line with the $66 million allocated in Gov. Pete Wilson’s budget plan. To avoid eliminating classes, the district is considering deep cuts in part-time employee hours, student services and maintenance.

More than $4.4 million of the proposed cuts would come in the academic affairs and business services divisions, and include ending Rancho’s dental technology program as well as cutting back on instructional aides, part-time clerical and classified employees.

Vice Chancellor Stephen Garcia also outlined $405,000 in proposed cuts in counseling hours, tutorial and testing services, student jobs and stipends. Critics say these cuts will hurt poor and minority students who are at the greatest risk of dropping out.