Elliot Golan / Roundup, Emily Kelley / Roundup
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated since the first time it was published, earlier today.
The Los Angeles Community College District’s (LACCD) Board of Trustees has selected Dr. Daniel LaVista as its next Chancellor.
LaVista, the Executive Director of the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, will take the position vacated by Marshall Drummond last year on August 1.
Atop the incoming chancellor’s priorities will be reevaluating the way the district spends its money.
“It’s not all about the money, but it’s quite a bit about the money,” said LaVista. He stated that “creating new partnerships” will be a key ingredient to helping the district get through its budget crisis.
LaVista also said that Pierce’s agricultural department is going to be looked at more closely as a potential program to receive more federal funding.
Not being a native Californian, LaVista believes his “total objectivity” will be an asset.
He is open to meeting with faculty and students to discuss the districts future.
“(Many) fall into the trap of just listening to the people that report to them,” said LaVista.
Since Drummonds departure, Dr. Tyree Wieder has served as interim chancellor, after being selected by the Board of Trustees in August.
Wieder had previously served as the president of Los Angeles Valley College for 14 years, before retiring in 2008.
The board chose LaVista out of a final group of five candidates. Each candidate went through three days of interviewing, according to Mona Field, president of the LACCD Board of Trustees.
The board declined to release the names of the other finalists.
“It’s our most important job,” said Field. “He impressed the board with his grasp of the situation.”
LaVista earned a bachelor’s degree from Siena College in New York and went to receive a master’s degree from the University of Dayton. He has a Ph.D. in Speech and Dramatic Art from Syracuse University. He also earned a certificate for participation in Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management.
As chancellor, he will be paid an annual salary of $370,000. He also will receive health benefits and relocation expenses.
Wieder will remain in her current position through LaVista’s arrival. After he takes over, she will remain within the office to assist in the transition.
Wieder’s office declined comment, but in a letter wrote that she was, “delighted that our district will be in such good hands with Dr. LaVista as our new chancellor.”
LaVista served as chancellor of Baltimore County’s Community Colleges between 1995 and 1997, but was fired in January of that year after reportedly being at odds with the board of trustees there.
“The problem was the board and not him,” said Field. “We don’t think it was him.”
Field said that LaVista’s desire to get students where they need to go, whether it be transfer or vocational training, was key to his selection.
“He is totally devoted to student success,” said Field.
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