President's Update

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March 9, 2026

I hope your spring 2026 semester has started off well. In the first Monday Report of the new spring semester, I started a new section called President’s Update. Every month – and more often, if needed – I will provide an update on topics and issues that faculty, staff, and administrators have identified as among their highest priorities.

To kick things off, the first update focused on the campus climate survey. This month, I will use a Q&A format to address matters people have asked about. If you have questions or concerns you want to bring forward, please feel free to submit questions, concerns, or recognitions through my Intranet contact form. This update arose from an idea generated during the Adjunct Town Hall in the fall of 2025. It is a place where you can ask questions, let us know about a recognition you or a colleague were given so we can share it across campus, or let me know something you want brought to my attention – anonymously, if you prefer. This is not to deter from our normal complaint process, facilities work orders, etc.; it is a way for you share information without worry.

Without further ado, here are a few of the questions I have been asked in the past few weeks.

Have you heard anything about the forensic audit?

I have not heard anything about the forensic audit.

For context, at the Nov. 18, 2024, Board of Trustees meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the district's hiring of a third-party professional services internal auditing firm through our legal counsel. At the Sept. 10, 2025, Board of Trustees meeting, Mr. Sherman Wong stated in open session that the internal audit identified potential violations of the law. The Board of Trustees unanimously directed counsel to turn over the internal audit findings to the district attorney.

Since that date, we have not heard anything more about the audit. While I understand the desire for more information, Mr. Wong stated at the Sept. 10 meeting: “The DA’s Office has informed the college district that to protect the integrity of its review, no information will be provided regarding its review.”

Is Dr. Van Hook suing the college district?

Yes, Dr. Van Hook has filed a lawsuit against the district through the courts. If you want information regarding that, you can find it through public records.

We have a lot of interim people on Executive Cabinet. What is the plan to get permanent people in place?

In fall 2025, we tried to go out for a permanent Vice President of Instruction. However, that was a failed search, as we did not get enough candidates to run the search. We made the decision to wait to fill our interim positions until a permanent president is on board. That person will start on July 1, 2026, and they can determine the order in which to hire the permanent Executive Cabinet team. Many people seeking Executive Cabinet positions want to know who the permanent president is before applying. The current Executive Cabinet team, interim or permanent, is working incredibly well together. We all plan to support the new president in their searches for cabinet members when the time comes.

Interims can remain interim for up to two years. We have a few members coming up on two years in the fall 2026 term and a few more in the spring 2027 term. The new president will need to work with the vice president of human resources to determine when the permanent positions will be flown.

We have a lot of interim people in other management roles as well. What is the plan for those positions?

As the permanent positions are filled, we will know what other interim positions will need to be filled. Many of our interim positions are contingent on the permanent positions at the Executive Cabinet level. Once those are determined, we will determine the next steps for hiring the next-level positions. I know this is not a very clear answer, but once we have a permanent president in place, all other positions can be determined.

We have been hearing about the mini-PRT and the full PRT. What are those?

I am glad you asked.

The Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) supports California Community Colleges by providing technical assistance, professional development, and collaborative problem solving. A Partnership Resource Team (PRT) is composed of experienced California community college professionals who volunteer their expertise to help peer institutions address identified areas for improvement. Their work follows a colleagues helping colleagues model, emphasizing collaboration and practical solutions. The team will use an appreciative inquiry model to solicit information from us about our project.

The full PRT is focused on shared governance, campus climate, and planning. Below are the items we asked the PRT to focus on:

• Implementing and advancing our new governance model.
• Revising the integrated strategic planning framework.
• Enhancing institutional climate and morale.

The college will receive $250,000 to help implement PRT decisions.

We also have a mini-PRT that is focused on rebranding the Canyon Country campus, with three distinct areas of focus:

• Developing a new campus branding that reflects our academic focus.
• Creating a strategic identity that supports enrollment recovery and strengthens community engagement.
• Planning a phased implementation strategy, including internal adoption, external communications, and signage updates.

The college will receive $100,000 to help implement the mini-PRT's decisions.

We had our first mini-PRT visit on Feb. 26. We met with the team for a tour of the Valencia campus the evening of Feb. 25, then met with them at the Canyon Country campus the following day. A team of roughly 30 people from the college met with the team from 9:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. We thank everyone who was involved for the time put into this work. The PRT will be on Zoom with us for their final visit on April 23.

Many of you have been asked to meet with the PRT on Friday, March 27. We thank all of you who have agreed to work with the PRT. They will be back for their second visit on May 6.

Thank you for reading all the way to the end of this Q&A. If you have additional questions, please feel free use my contact form. Have a wonderful week!