Kathleen Burke-Kelly joined Pierce College Aug. 1, 2010 as our college president, replacing Joy McCaslin, who was an interim president appointed by the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) Board of Trustees July 29, 2009.
In a press release last year, LACCD Chancellor Daniel LaVista was quoted saying, “her [Kathleen Buke-Kelly’s] commitment to student success, and her ideas for implementing that commitment, will form the foundation for the college’s next stage of growth and development.”
It’s interesting, however, that after only a few short months serving at Pierce College, Burke-Kelly left Pierce during an accreditation period to assist Mission College, who apparently didn’t have a person such as McCaslin to fill in during their time of need.
The truth is that Burke-Kelly has constantly contradicted herself, providing mixed messages to her students, faculty, and the campus she is “serving” as a whole.
Since she most likely earns more money than absenteeism would entail, Burke-Kelly should be loyal to her campus and know her priorities.
At the end of an LACCD board meeting in March, Burke-Kelly made it very clear that she was NOT the president at Pierce College, and told reporters of the Roundup that she had nothing to do with the concerns of the campus. This concluded that all questions and issues were to be addressed, once again, by interim president Joy McCaslin.
This is confusing.
In her defense, her contract specifies that all duties assigned by the Chancellor are to be fulfilled competently and diligently. Chancellor LaVista did request Burke-Kelly to assist Mission; she did not ask to go.
Before she left for her time at Mission College, she had assured faculty during an academic senate meeting that she would be frequenting Pierce weekly and continue to be very involved.
So why did she disown us, and why didn’t she follow through on her commitment to be on campus during her time at Mission?
Perhaps Joy McCaslin should be compensated for her time.
She has served twice the time Burke-Kelly has and continues to consistently be there for this campus when she is needed, without compensation, and without a title further than “interim.”
For the record: The college president is typically responsible to a governing board for the successful operation of the institution.
The president’s relationship with the institution’s board of trustees is critical. One of the board’s primary duties is to hire and fire the president, and thus it is important for the president to be attentive to the needs and desires of the board.
Shouldn’t her loyality also be to the campus?
Upon her return to Pierce College last week, she showed promise and dedication by hosting her first town hall meeting of the year, during which she explained possible budget scenarios to concerned students and faculty.
So is she here to stay?
Another encouraging tidbit of information is the countless praise she received from Los Angeles Trade-Tech Community College following her success in improving their accreditation status. She was referred to as a “godsend” for their campus.
It will be interesting to see what she has planned next for her time here to achieve her goals as she says them; and that is student success and achievement.
We challenge you KBK to follow through on your original plans for Pierce and hope that your time will no longer be interrupted.
(Maria Salvador 2011)
