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| c. 1965 |
We are very saddened to share that Dr. Richard J. Sneed, Chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District from 1986 to 1993, passed away at his home on Saturday morning after a long illness.Minimalism, I guess.
Near as I can tell, Sneed was about 88 years old.
In July of 1986, Sneed replaced the troublesome (—er, disastrous) Larry Stevens, who presided over (—er, caused) three and a half years of strife and turmoil at the Saddleback Community College District — thanks, in part, to the usual idiotic double-downing of a clueless board that mucked up the original hire. The Faculty Association had successfully targetted trustees who supported Stevens in the election of '85. The new board pressured Stevens to resign, which he did, January 8, 1986.
Sneed was widely respected and brought peace and professionalism back to the Chancellor's office. He was, as they say, both a scholar and a gentleman.
He will be warmly remembered.
I do believe his full name was Richard Joseph Sneed. I found this reference to his dissertation:
In July of 1986, Sneed replaced the troublesome (—er, disastrous) Larry Stevens, who presided over (—er, caused) three and a half years of strife and turmoil at the Saddleback Community College District — thanks, in part, to the usual idiotic double-downing of a clueless board that mucked up the original hire. The Faculty Association had successfully targetted trustees who supported Stevens in the election of '85. The new board pressured Stevens to resign, which he did, January 8, 1986.
Sneed was widely respected and brought peace and professionalism back to the Chancellor's office. He was, as they say, both a scholar and a gentleman.
He will be warmly remembered.
I do believe his full name was Richard Joseph Sneed. I found this reference to his dissertation:
Richard J. Sneed “The Kingdom’s Coming: Luke, 17, 20-21” STD dissertation, Catholic University of America, 1962
That's Richard Sneed, far right, c. 1988
(IVC President Ron Kong at center.)
…Just this week, Sneed, who retires Monday after a sometimes stormy relationship with his faculty, returned from a conference in Sacramento sponsored by community college students seeking to preserve educational opportunities, lobbied for state money for new buildings at Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges, and worked on the district's 1994-95 budget.
1989
What's more, Sneed has presented five notebooks of facts and personal observations to his interim successor, Anna McFarlin, president of Irvine Valley College.
Although many challenges remain, Sneed said he's optimistic about the future of the district, which he believes will continue to grow and someday include a third campus.
He's also confident that administrators will have the energy and political know-how to unite students and faculty in the name of persuading state legislators about the importance of community college education.
"They just can't let us down," Sneed said about the legislators in charge of allocating money to community colleges. "There's too much at stake. (Education) is such an important investment."
After seven years as chancellor of the Saddleback Community College District, Sneed, 64, announced last spring he would retire because it was time for a new generation of leaders.
"Saddleback is a terrific district," Sneed said. "I've enjoyed being here. Even when the times are tough, the job is exciting."
In typical fashion, Sneed's retirement plans aren't looking much like retirement at all.
Between traveling and volunteer work, Sneed said, he'll try his hand at fiction writing. He's also considering work as a consultant and may someday return to the classroom. A former priest, Sneed started his career as a scholar of Near East studies and a student of 11 languages.
"I've always been sort of overcommitted," he joked.
c. 1965
In his years as an administrator, which has included posts at Rancho Santiago College and Chapman University, Sneed saw the end of free education for community college students. They now pay $13 per unit, or $50 if they already hold a baccalaureate degree.
Despite the increasingly difficult financial times for all state community college districts, Sneed is credited for leading the two Saddleback campuses, with a combined student population of about 32,000, through a period of rapid growth.
In the period since Sneed became chancellor in 1986, officials have hired more than 100 full-time professors and added buildings and facilities worth about $50 million to both campuses.
During his tenure, Irvine Valley College also received full accreditation and the district entered into a partnership with Cal State Fullerton, opening the CSUF-Mission Viejo campus at Saddleback College.
In the past two years, however, he found himself in the middle of sometimes hostile contract negotiations with the district faculty association. Last year, the Saddleback College Academic Senate took a vote of "no confidence" in the chancellor, citing inadequate communication….
...Sneed, of Santa Ana, has been with Rancho Santiago Community College District since 1971 and has been its vice chancellor for academic affairs since 1973. Before coming to Rancho Santiago, Sneed was an administrator at Chapman College in Orange. He was president of St. Gregory's College in Shawnee, Okla., from 1964 to 1969.
Sneed received his doctorate in 1962 from Catholic University of America....
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| St. Gregory's College |
See also
- Joan Heuter, SCCD trustee
- Teddy Lorch: a curious career
- Richard Sneed chosen as Chancellor, June 1986
- Teddi Lorch might accept an apology for sticking her head on a pterodactyl
8 comments:
I remember Sneed with fondness and respect. Am I right to do so? He was an academic with his heart in the right place for education, yes? Not like these corporate types we have had now for so long.
Were Sneed's "hostile negotiations" with faculty the result of the old guard reactionary union that I have heard so much about?
I find it appalling that the district's obituary notice was so matter of fact and devoid of any warmth or significant details regarding Chancellor Sneed's many accomplishments, both at the SOCCCD and elsewhere. DTB did a much better and deserving account of this man's life and career. Was he perfect? Of course not. Nobody is. But those of us who were here during all or part of Chancellor Stevens' stormy years, cannot forget the relief, the sense of stability and professionalism that Sneed brought to this district. Eventually, Sneed became a target of the Faculty Association because of a lack of progress in contract negotiations, some of which was well deserved. Regrettably, Chancellor Sneed surrounded himself with a few unsavory characters who had rudimentary skills in interpersonal relationships and in successful contract negotiations. That, coupled with the "ancient regime" disastrous leadership style in the Faculty Association, eventually led to the former Chancellor's demise. On balance, however, he should and will be remembered as someone who came into a very messy and dysfunctional district and accomplished a lot in making things right. May he rest in peace.
I am not surprised the District response is cold. Both Jennie and Diane have shown multiple times in the past their lack of heart and have no respect for the history of the district and her colleges. They could care less. What they do care about is entering their crummy advertisements in competitions so they can validate their pathetic existence.
I recall Sneed's reassuring, calm, scholarly presence. He was the opposite of what passes for district and college leadership these days. He was literate, decent, civil, and intelligent.
Why is that loutish illiterate, Glenn Roquemore, still President of IVC after 15 years? Somebody tell me that!
Another example how the district is run by people who don't understand or respect the mission of higher education. This should have been an opportunity. Instead it makes me dread the day I may die and some doofus will sum my accomplishments up in mediocre prose and an absence of curiosity or respect for what has gone before. Lazy minds.
Sneed was reassuring, thoughtful, and, in my Senate contacts with him, a good listener. And when a suggestion or advice was good, he frequently acted on it, making positive differences at the colleges and district.
I missed you when you stepped down from serving as SOCCCD Chancellor.
How'd we get from Richard Sneed to where we are now? We could - should - be so much better! Where is the leadership, the vision?
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