Golden West Chief Would Take Post in Ventura if Offered

Golden West College President Philip Westin said Tuesday he would not hesitate to leave the school for the Ventura County Community College District, where he is a front-runner for the chancellor’s post.

“I would absolutely” accept the job, Westin said in an interview Tuesday. “The decision to apply was not lightly reached by me or my wife.”

Although a team of officials who visited Westin’s campus on Friday has not yet made its report to the district board, members say they were generally pleased with what they heard about his performance as president of Golden West.

“He’s had good experience at all levels,” said Trustee Allan Jacobs, one of two board members who visited the campus. “One concern I had was that he has been president for about three years. . . . But if the rest of board feels he’s ready, we’ll offer him the job.”

The three-campus district has been without a permanent chancellor since Thomas G. Lakin died nearly one year ago of an infection. In an effort to speed up the search, Board President Timothy Hirschberg has called for a special meeting, tentatively set for Nov. 6, to decide whether to offer Westin the job.

After choosing three finalists this month, the board told the two other candidates last week that district officials would not be visiting their campus.

A six-member team spent Friday at Golden West meeting with top college officials to discuss Westin’s track record.

One of the issues discussed was the suspension last year of a Latino student group, MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan), after it sponsored a fund-raiser where alcohol was reportedly consumed.

On Tuesday, Westin said he saw the crisis as a positive experience because it led him to seek the advice counsel of local Latino groups, most of which supported him.