Lee Looking Forward to Challenges as Pierce College President

After 13 years as president of Valley College in Van Nuys, Mary Lee recently was named acting president of Pierce College in Woodland Hills effective Monday.

When Lee replaces Pierce President Lowell Erickson, who is taking a one-year leave of absence before perhaps returning to teaching, she will inherit a campus facing an estimated $1.5-million budget deficit this year and declining enrollments.

Lee, 55, a Chatsworth resident who gained a reputation at Valley College as an efficient and hard-charging administrator, hopes to bring those qualities to bear at Pierce. Both colleges are in the nine-campus Los Angeles Community College District. Lee was interviewed by staff writer John Chandler.

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Question: You’ve been president at Valley College for 13 years. Your new job at Pierce College will last at least two years, but with no guarantee you will be able to stay beyond that. Why accept that kind of change?

Answer: There are several reasons. First, I enjoy a good challenge. Pierce is $1.5 million in deficit for this year. They are currently fourth in enrollment of the nine colleges. The development of the campus, not in a building sense, has such potential to be a unique place for the community to visit. The people at Pierce are doing an outstanding job in their particular areas. What Pierce needs is for all of their talents to be packaged and sold to the community. That hasn’t been done.

Q. What kind of approach will you bring to Pierce and what can people expect from you.

A. I will talk with people. I will listen. But I also will expect that whatever group talks with me will have its homework done. First I’m working on enrollment and the budget deficit. I appreciate people who are not yes people, because if I have a person who always says yes to me, then one of us doesn’t need to be paid.

Q. Shortly after the announcement you were moving to Pierce, you went there and spent about two hours walking around the campus. In terms of potential for the institution, what did you see?

A. I saw greater potential for utilizing the college for the community. For example, walking through the orange groves, the blossoms were out and it was absolutely beautiful. To put a jogging track around the horticultural area would be wonderful. I would like to see the chain-link fence that circles the campus and makes it look very unwelcome disappear and have a 50-foot setback with trees and plantings like industry does so when you drive by Pierce College, you are attracted to the campus.

Q. For a college president, you have been involved in some rather unusual activities. You went to truck driving school and got a commercial license and you’re going to law school now. What drives someone who’s already a college president to do those kinds of things?

A. First of all, you have to have outside activities in order to keep your mind clear to do your work. If anyone lives a job 24 hours a day, that person is going to burn out. I have always been interested in doing things I didn’t know about.

Q. You’ve worked in the district in various capacities since 1977. What kind of places were community colleges then?

A. In the late 1970s, community colleges had it made. There were no budget problems. The budget was increased relatively 10% every year. There were no problems with how many people you hired. Enrollments were high. Students were coming to the colleges, so there was no need to recruit. They could offer anything they wanted to, and the budget was there from the state.

Then Proposition 13 came in 1978. The whole political scene changed from a local-tax-based system to more of a state system. As the budgets declined and students disappeared, community colleges had to realize that they had to recruit.

Q. So how different, better or worse, is today’s environment than when you came into the system?

A. When community colleges were being created in this state, the programs were new. Every program had new equipment; the faculty were new, and it was a great time. Now you have the same faculty close to retirement, and there is very little money for equipment replacement or new equipment. To create a new program, it is very difficult because the cost is so high for equipment and (because of) the difficulty of finding trained personnel. So I think program renewal is one of the greatest difficulties we have today.

Q. There have been indications in recent days that the state’s economy is beginning to turn around. Yet the budget process in Sacramento is focusing on non-higher education things such as prison construction. How are community colleges likely to fare financially over the next three to five years?

A. I think the budget will continue to be tight for community colleges. The funds for community colleges are not going to catch up in a hurry. And in order to convince the Legislature and the governor that community colleges need those funds, community colleges are going to have to make sure that students are reaching their educational objectives.

Q. Traditionally, community colleges have had a number of designated roles: transferring students to four-year universities, vocational education and basic skills instruction. Are there likely to be any structural changes in that approach in the coming years?

A. Until the state’s master plan is changed, transfer education and occupational education remain the primary missions of the community colleges. Continuing education, counseling, English as a second language and basic skills--those are also missions, but not the primary missions. One of the misconceptions about community colleges is that they are two-year transfer institutions. Many students come to the community colleges assuming that’s what they want to do. But they really end up doing something else.

Q. There is a lot of discussion about programs and classes being offered that are obsolete by subject or have equipment and facilities that are obsolete. Yet the district meanwhile is not able to offer enough basic math, English and other core classes. Is that a problem at Valley and at Pierce, throughout the district, or even on a broader basis?

A. I believe it’s a problem probably in almost any community college, some more and some less. We have programs that have very low average class sizes; the instructors are close to retirement; the equipment is outdated, and the students who are in the program are there not to reach an educational objective but for their own interest.

Community colleges can’t afford that kind of program any more. We need to offer programs that are beneficial to business and industry that allow students to get the skills to go out into the workplace today, and at the same time give them the basic skills in math and English.

Q. So what does that say about the future of traditional vocational education offerings in the community college setting?

A. I believe traditional vocational offerings will eventually disappear. Community colleges will need to work more closely with business and industry, use the equipment in business and industry and relate more to on-the-job training for the student in conjunction with the more academic courses.

Q. Can you outline your plans for what needs to happen with the agriculture operation and the farm at Pierce College?

A. The farm is a unique asset that Pierce College has. It’s underutilized. The farm used to attract 6,000 elementary school children per year. That’s recruitment for future students. Many people come onto the farm. However, those people really are not given any information on Pierce College and why Pierce College is there. It’s not enough to get people onto the campus for a swap meet or any other kind of activity without giving people brochures and information about the college.

Q. Could you see a day when the farm and the agricultural program would cease to exist?

A. I would not like to see it cease to exist. And while I’m president, I will do what I can to make sure the farm is utilized for instructional programs and for the community, and as a recruitment device.