After only eight months on the job as dean of enrollment services at Contra Costa College, Andre Singleton resigned effective Feb. 12.

“This was an extremely hard decision for me but the need for family support is now a necessity for us,” Singleton said in a campuswide email sent out Feb. 7.

Singleton, who is originally from Michigan, said he had been “independently living the California dream” for the past 13 years with his wife.

“Since the birth of our daughter, family has become extremely important and our direction has changed,” he said in the email. “While I do regret any inconvenience my resignation will cause the college, I have done all that I can do to ensure a smooth transition.”

Interim Vice President of Student Services Carsbia Anderson, who will act as temporary liaison, said Singleton announced his resignation on Jan. 29.

“Programs and services supervised by the dean of enrollment will be supervised by the vice president of student services — with some assists from other student services managers,” Anderson said.

“The permanent selection committee is being formed through the shared governance process and the internal search for an interim has begun with hopes of interviews beginning this week.”

Anderson said the hope is to complete the interim search and hiring process by the end of the spring semester, after which the interim will be in place until a permanent hire is completed.

“There are measures that will support the programs on a temporary basis,” he said. “Student services has a committed and exceptional staff who I am confident will continue to provide quality services — even during challenging times.”

The enrollment services department has seen a continued shift within upper administration over the last year, with the transfer of its former dean Dennis Franco to dean of student services in

January 2018, the hiring of Singleton in August and his subsequent resignation this semester.

CCC Financial Aid Specialist Patricia Herrera said she could not believe Singleton resigned when she received the email.

“Andre is genuine and fair and in tune to the hardships students face,” Herrera said. “I feel lucky to have met and worked with him. It’s always hard to go back to the drawing board after having hired a great candidate, but I’m optimistic we will find another great fit.”

CCC President Katrina VanderWoude said Singleton will be missed within the CCC family, but there are many new endeavors throughout the state’s educational system.

“California has 115 (community) colleges, now including a fully-online college under development. The number of opportunities across the state contributes to movement of talented staff to lateral and higher opportunities,” Dr. VanderWoude said.

VanderWoude said although the college has had some administrative changes over the last several years, her main goal is building stability.

“This is evidenced by the two new interim vice presidents, who will be with us for close to a year rather than a semester, which is often more typical,” she said. “With their experiences that will really help our college to get some systems in place.”