Finalists for Mission College Post Say Expanded Facilities Needed

At consecutive public forums at Mission College on Tuesday night, two finalists for the presidency of the school said they would work to expand campus facilities and reach out to surrounding communities if they were selected to lead the institution.

Adriana D. Barrera, former president of El Paso Community College, and Thomas D. Morales, vice president of student affairs at City College of New York, both emphasized their experiences with disadvantaged and new immigrant student bodies--student populations similar to Mission’s.

The 7,000-student campus is about 70% Latino and situated in a mostly Latino area. Community activists and college officials have criticized the district for not working hard enough to attract diverse candidates.

Both candidates introduced themselves in Spanish to an audience numbering about 150. The Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees will interview all four candidates today.

The forums are the first of their kind at Mission, which scrapped a previous search process after trustees complained the candidate pool was too inexperienced and not diverse enough. None of those three finalists were Latinos.

This time around three of the four finalists are Latinos, and all have worked at predominantly Latino campuses.

On Monday, the first forums featured Celia Barberena, vice president of Hartnell Community College, and Karen Sue Grosz, chief academic and student affairs officer of the Connecticut Community College System.

The audience was invited to submit written comments, which will be summarized and considered by the trustees. Chancellor Mark Drummond, who interviewed all four candidates Tuesday, said the trustees will select a president today or next Wednesday in a special meeting.

Barrera cited several of her accomplishments in El Paso, including construction of off-site learning centers in some of the county’s poorest areas and her establishment of a more consultative management structure. She also talked about her efforts to work with residents in the El Paso Community College area as she worked to expand campus facilities, something Mission administrators have as yet been unable to do.

Barrera also touted the value of ethnic studies at Mission College.

“I think there is something to be said for courses that teach us about our roots, about where we are from, about who we are, what we’re about,” she said.

Morales talked about his childhood in Puerto Rico and New York and how he found his way from New York City’s public schools to higher education. He emphasized the importance of campus life for students, a point he is charged with promoting at City College.

Morales also gave the strongest response to a question on how to accommodate more students at Mission College, one of the district’s smallest and most overcrowded campuses.

“We need to explore opportunities to expand the physical plant,” he said.

Morales also said that community activists--who have been vocal on issues affecting Mission College--must not overpower the role of college administrators and faculty members.

Biology student Anilu Sanchez, 19, called Barrera a “strong woman,” who she thought could change things for the better at Mission College.

“I like the way she was encouraging us to take computer science courses and Chicano studies,” she said.

Life Science instructor Angela Echeverri preferred Thomas Morales, whom Echeverri said had a wider vision.

“He was very informed,” she said. “And he was much more concrete.”