Rosie Pena / Roundup
Robert Garber, the president of Pierce college in 2006-2009, is now serving as the interim president at Cuyamaca College in El Cajon, CA, a position he started on September 1st of this year.
“It’s an opportunity to bring some of my knowledge and experience from working at other colleges to help this college develop and hopefully grow and become a better institution,” he said of his new position at Cuyamaca.
He was originally hired on August 1st to fill in as the interim vice president of student services for only a few months, but in the month of August he applied for the position of interim president, a position expected to last until July 1st of next year.
“Between the time when I agreed to come as the vice president of student services but before I actually started, the interim president position became available and I decided to apply for that,” he said.
In August 2009, Garber resigned from his position as president of Pierce College to go into an early retirement so that he could care for his son who was very ill with a serious medical condition. He then moved to the San Diego area. His son has gotten much better and is now doing well.
Garber was not planning on going back to work but he was contacted by the chancellor of Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD) and she asked if he could fill in as the interim vice president of student services position while a permanent replacement was being selected.
“It wasn’t about going back to work, it was about the campus, the people, and me helping out an institution for a period of time during a very difficult transition.”
The president of Cuyamaca, Stuart Savin, resigned in the Spring 2010 semester after just one semester at the college to return to the east coast.
“Bob was referred to us by several colleagues and search consultants from the region who commended his strong reputation and leadership skills,” said Cindy Miles, the chancellor of GCCCD. “For the interim presidency, he was selected through a rigorous search process from a field of more than 50 applicants.”
Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh was hired by Garber in mid-2006 as the vice president of academic affairs at Pierce College. They have remained friends and colleagues ever since.
“Bob still has a lot of energy and excitement for community college education. He has a true caring for student development. I think it’s wonderful that he can help a college out and provide all that experience and strong leadership when needed,” he said.
“He was great to work with. He was more of a guide and mentor than just a boss. He is one of the most personable people I know,” he continued.
Garber is planning on working only until July 1st when the permanent replacement president can be found and is expected to take over. He does not want to apply for the permanent position.
“I want to go back into retirement and work on projects like remodeling my home, professional activities, and skiing at Lake Tahoe,” he said.
Cuyamaca College is one of two colleges in the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District (GCCCD). It is a mid-sized college with a population of over 9000 students. It is growing rapidly with a projected enrollment of 15,000 students by the year 2015.