Autonomy on Agenda for Satellite

Today, it’s a satellite of Rancho Santiago College. But if the college district administrators have their way, the 7,600-student campus in Orange soon will break away from the main Santa Ana campus and become its own distinct college.

Trustees, who discussed the proposal at a board meeting Monday, argue the smaller campus needs a separate identity.

“I think people need the autonomy of being able to say, ‘This is my college,’ ” said Enriqueta L. Ramos, president of Rancho Santiago Community College’s Board of Trustees. “It creates more community unity.”

While the Orange campus would receive a new--and as yet undetermined--name, the proposed college would remain within the Rancho Santiago Community College District.

Trustees are expected to vote on the matter later this month, according to Rancho Santiago Chancellor Vivian Blevins. She said the Orange campus could become independent within two years.

Administrators have gradually prepared for the separation of the two campuses for years. Master plans for the college outlined such proposals in 1987 and 1993. And, last fall, the trustees approved hiring additional employees in financial aid and career guidance in anticipation of the separation.

“All the pieces of the puzzle are coming together now,” Blevins said.

If the conversion is approved, the district will then assign a college president to oversee the campus. The district already is considering seeking bond funding for a new library and math and science buildings for the 11-year-old Orange campus.

Blevins said the conversion is not expected to be costly. It would mean hiring a college president and eliminating another administrative post. If the move is approved, a study will be launched to determine the precise cost of the move.

“It is not an expensive proposition,” said Vice Chancellor Dean Strenger, who currently heads the Orange campus. “It’s more a question of identity.”

But critics, who asked to remain anonymous, said establishing a new college in Orange would be a waste of district money.

“We don’t need to pay any more administrators,” a Rancho Santiago faculty member said.

Spurring a separation is increasing enrollment at the Orange campus, administrators say. The Orange campus is expected to have a new wave of students from nearby developments in addition to the nearly 7% annual growth the college has had in the past few years.