Four finalists announced for vice president

Open forums scheduled this week for hopefuls

By Jackson Stephens, Staff Writer

The final four candidates to fill the position of vice president of student services were announced Monday by the President’s Office.
President Katrina VanderWoude informed Contra Costa College faculty and staff in an email Friday that the names of candidates along with their bios would be revealed Monday.
A series of open forums is also in the works to give each candidate the opportunity to meet their potential constituents.
The forums are scheduled to take place Tuesday through Friday this week from 12:45-1:45 p.m. in Fireside Hall, Dr. VanderWoude said.
She describes this as, “an opportunity for our campus community to meet each finalist and learn more about their background, experiences and educational philosophy.”

Monday’s follow up email revealed the finalists as Vinicio J. Lopez, Herbert L. English, Dr. LeRodrick Terry and Joyce Coleman.
López is the current dean of academic affairs at the School of ESL, International Education, and Transitional Studies at City College of San Francisco and English is currently the dean of student equity and support at Victor Valley College.
Dr. Terry was formerly employed as vice president of student affairs at Rio Salado in Tempe, Arizona.
Information regarding the forums comes from Senior Executive Assistant Lorena Cortez of the President’s Office.
She announced the series of four public forums will be held for each finalist for one hour to where each candidate will make a statement followed by a question and answer session with attendees.
The forums are open to students as well as faculty and staff and interested members of the community and a live stream of the forum is available through the CCC YouTube account.
The position of VP of student services, when searched on CCC’s website, is described as overseeing student affairs and support service programs for the college. It also requires managing and evaluating senior deans and other managers’ direct reports.
Some of the many essential functions and duties listed for applicants are ensuring accreditation standards are met as well as helping in the hiring process of faculty and staff.
The position requires the development and execution of comprehensive policies that manage the college’s activities, while also keeping in line with district goals.
Bringing a student-first philosophy to the campus is one of the first and foremost criteria CCC holds in looking at candidates.
“The United Faculty is interested in candidates who come from a background working to serve students and have a track record of working with others as a team,” UF Vice President Jeffrey Michels said.