Irvine Valley College Picks New President : Education: Former Saddleback College dean comes back to Orange County to take post.

A former dean at Saddleback College has been named president of Irvine Valley College, officials announced Monday.

Daniel L. Larios, currently dean of instruction at Tillamook Bay Community College in Oregon, will take office in late August or early September, Saddleback Community College District spokeswoman Diane Riopka said.

“Irvine Valley and Saddleback colleges are growing with a diverse student population, which excites me,” said Larios, a Stockton native who grew up in Fresno.

The seven-member Saddleback district board of trustees finalized Larios’ selection as president at a special meeting late Thursday.

Larios said he served as dean of the technology and applied science division at Saddleback College from 1986 to 1992 before moving to Tillamook Bay Community College.

“The tradition of quality education at Irvine Valley College is going to continue,” Larios promised in a telephone interview Monday. “I’ll be visible. That’s what I do. I’m in early, I leave late, and I’ve always had an open door policy.”

To accept the new job in Orange County, Larios said, he will leave behind an Oregon residence that is surrounded by trees and overlooks a rushing river--but the move will be worth it, he said.

“When I was growing up, I never dreamed I’d live in (this) part of the state,” Larios said. “But there’s something magic about Southern California.”

As he ascended the academic ladder, Larios said he never thought he would become a college president.

“I only wanted to teach biology and coach baseball,” Larios said with a laugh. “This is a surprise.”

He has held no college presidential posts before, but Larios is familiar with the budgetary crises facing state colleges and universities. He said he hopes to help Irvine Valley and Saddleback college officials come up with ways to ride out economic hard times.

“All the community colleges are facing these problems,” Larios said. “But if we want to have a global economy and we want California, Oregon and the Pacific Rim states to succeed globally, we’re going to have to put some money into our educational systems.”

Larios said he has been around academia and teaching in California since the 1970s. He helped open Cal State Bakersfield in 1970 and designed landscaping for the university.

He taught high school agriculture and biology in 1975, he said. A year later, he moved to Bakersfield College, where he was chairman of the school’s agriculture department and director of grounds.

Larios holds a doctorate of education from Nova University in Florida and a master’s degree in curriculum from Cal State Bakersfield. He earned his bachelor’s degree in agriculture science and ornamental horticulture from Cal State Fresno.