King hopes to continue his reign on college board

Darleene Barrientos

Local attorney Deborah Dentler remembers getting a call out of the

blue from a young man named Victor King, long before he became a

member of the Glendale Community College Board of Trustees.

Dentler never met him before that phone call, but his youth, fresh

perspective and idealism were so refreshing to her that she helped

him win a seat on the board in 1997.

“I felt it was really important to have someone with a youthful

perspective on the board, who had come out of a local Glendale high

school and really made something of his life,” Dentler said. “He has

a very impressive educational background. He’s also very energetic

and very idealistic. Those were the qualities that impressed me when

I first met him.”

His commitment to Glendale Community College continues to make

Dentler proud and supportive of King, now president of the board and

up for reelection.

King, a product of Glendale public schools and Glendale High

School’s valedictorian when he graduated in 1982, has seen his role

at the college go from student to instructor to trustee. King once

considered teaching college, but the lack of opportunities in law

philosophy led him to become a lawyer for educational institutions

instead.

“Law sometimes is a dull profession,” King said. “It’s full of a

bunch of trials and depositions. [Serving as a trustee] was one way

to get rooted in the community and do something long term.”

King now works as the head attorney for Cal State L.A. His work at

there often complements his experience in guiding Glendale Community

College policies, King said.

Because he has been a resident since 1969, King can talk

extensively about all the changes that transformed the city and the

college, construction-wise, culturally and economically. But King’s

focus is more on what the college can do better for its students.

“I’m emphasizing the future of the college being at the Garfield

campus,” King said. “If we want to help the college, we’re going to

have to consider the Garfield campus as our second campus.”

The college’s Garfield campus was renovated and reopened to the

public recently and is home to the Community Services Education

program, which features noncredit, fee-based classes and activities

that do not require college credit.

King also wants to focus on Glendale’s role as a community

college, providing a general education for students intent on

transferring to a four-year college or university.

In a time of high tuition fees and tight budgets, King believes

Glendale Community College is being asked to be much more than other

universities, colleges and educational institutions. But that’s part

of what makes the college so great, he said.

“We’re being asked to transfer students, offer vocational

programs, help [seniors] learn new skills, help mothers and teach

English to new immigrants,” King said. “But we have to do it.

“This is where you go if you’re laid off and you need to learn new

computer skills,” he continued. “This is where you go if you’re a

mother who raised her children for 15 years and wants to get back on

track with her education. This is the real central place for people

in Glendale, particularly for immigrants. This is where you learn to

be an American.”