Madison Bell / Special to the Roundup, Donna Rodriguez / Roundup
Pierce College’s President, Kathleen Burke-Kelly, is filling the presidential vacancy at Mission College until a replacement is named.
As reported first on therounduponline.net in January, Burke-Kelly took over as acting president at Mission Feb. 1, and is expected to remain there until April 1.
According to a press release from the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Chancellor’s office, her past experience as interim vice president of academic affairs at Mission from 2006 until 2007 made her an eligible candidate for the position.
“My plan is to be back [at Pierce] no later than April 1,” said Burke-Kelly, in an interview with the Roundup earlier this year. “If the new president [at Mission] is not able to start in April then we will have to look into other options.”
During Burk-Kelly’s term at Mission, former interim president Joy McCaslin has taken over the presidency at Pierce College.
“I collaborate with her on the issues [at Pierce],” said McCaslin. “It’s an enormous construction program, there are a thousand details and scheduling of classes.”
According to the Chancellor’s press release on the matter, McCaslin’s experience as an interim president has prepared her for her second role as acting president at Pierce College.
“I will talk to Kathleen to make sure things go in the direction she wants,” said McCaslin in January. “I’m sure these two months will go very fast.”
Other faculty members fear for the duration of Burke-Kelly’s term at Mission.
“The fear is that this will drag on for more than two months,” said Debbie Swarens, a member of the Pierce College Council. “Rocky Young was president at Pierce, but was reassigned to vice chancellor, and later on became the chancellor.”