Pierce Inaugurates College President

Rocky Young was officially inducted as president of Pierce College on Friday, calling it a place of intellectual energy and ideas, and outlining an ambitious five-year plan for the school.

More than 100 people attended the ceremony at the college’s Performing Arts building. The event marks the first time in the college’s 53-year history that a president has been inaugurated. Young, 52, took office last July but educators wanted the event to symbolize the start of a new era.

Young touched on the goals he envisioned for the community college in his 15-minute speech. Among them, he said, he wants to secure state funding to refurbish buildings on the 240-acre campus and repave the cracking parking lots, an idea that was met with rousing applause.

“It’s not a question if we can accomplish these goals,” Young said. “It’s a question if we can do it in five years.”

Young’s comments come at a critical time for Pierce. A master plan has been drafted that examines land use and facility improvements will probably be submitted to the Los Angeles Community College District board this summer. Last August, the board rejected a proposal to build a golf course on college farmland.

Young challenged his faculty to abandon mediocrity and turn the school into a “college of distinction.” He pledged to foster stronger relationships with high schools and universities and require higher academic standards from students.

“As we continue our ascent, a culture of greatness will pervade this institution,” he said. “I hope in this short time I have given the college a sense of hope.”

Most of Young’s friends and colleagues call him by his nickname, “Rocky,” given at an early age because kids had a hard time pronouncing and spelling his given name, Darroch.

“They just took the last part of my first name and it stuck,” he said.

Young was formerly vice president of Santa Monica College, where he spent 28 years. During Friday’s hourlong event, Young was praised by fellow educators and given his academic charge by LACCD Chancellor Mark Drummond.

As he left the auditorium, the Los Angeles Symphonic Winds acknowledged Young by playing the theme song from the Academy Award-winning movie, “Rocky.”