MISSION VIEJO : Interim President of College Named

Veteran mathematics professor Calvin Nelson has been appointed interim president of Saddleback College, a position that recently became available when Constance M. Carroll announced her resignation to accept the presidency of Mesa College in San Diego.

The appointment, made Monday night by the Saddleback Community College District Board of Trustees, was hailed Tuesday throughout the campus.

“Dr. Nelson is well known and respected throughout the district,” Chancellor Richard Sneed said. “We are fortunate to have someone on the faculty who has administrative experience and a thorough understanding of the community college mission and district policies.”

“Everybody thinks Dr. Nelson is a person of unquestionable integrity and ability,” Trustee Harriett S. Walther added.

Members of the Saddleback College administration, the organization representing managers, and the Academic Senate also supported Nelson.

Nelson, 54, has been teaching at Saddleback since 1969. He has served as chairman of the Saddleback College division of mathematics and engineering, dean of continuing education and data processing, dean of instruction, director of research and data processing and acting director of planning, research and development. In addition to his present teaching assignment, Nelson is chairman of the district budget committee.

Nelson said he is looking forward to the challenge and expects budget issues to take up much of his time. “That’s the biggest challenge--plus all those things I haven’t heard about yet,” he said.

A longtime resident of Laguna Beach, Nelson has served many community groups, including 14 years as an elected member of the Three Arch Bay Community Services District.

He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wayne State College in Nebraska, where he helped pay for his education by working on his father’s farm, a master of arts degree from Rutgers University and a Ph.D in education from Nova University in Florida.

Nelson will take over as interim president on Dec. 22 and will serve in that position until a permanent replacement is selected. Nelson declined to say whether he will seek the permanent position.