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Irvine Valley College Community:
I am writing to inform you about a conversation I had with Dr. Glenn Roquemore in the last hour. We agreed that he would be going on leave from his position as the President of Irvine Valley College effective immediately. While his employment status with the District is currently in transition, he will likely not be returning to his position as the College President. Dr. Roquemore has made many contributions to the Irvine Valley College community, and for his service and commitment to community college education, we are thankful.
In addition and effective immediately, Dr. Cindy Vyskocil will be serving as the Interim College President. Dr. Vyskocil is currently attending the annual Association of Chief Human Resources Officers (ACHRO) conference through Friday, October 25. She will report to Irvine Valley College on Monday, October 28 to assume her interim assignment. On Friday, October 25, I will be making myself available on campus at IVC in the Administration Building. If you should have any questions or comments about the information in this email, or if there is anything else that you would like to discuss with me, please feel free to drop by and see me. Sandy Jeffries and Pamela Guillaume in the President's Office will know where to find me should you wish to stop by.
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| Cindy Vyskocil (Vice Chancellor of Human Resources) |
Kathleen F. Burke Ed.D., Chancellor
South Orange County Community College District
28000 Marguerite Parkway
Mission Viejo, CA 92692-3635
SEE
Agenda item for Monday’s board meeting (closed session): 1.3 Public Employee Employment, Evaluation of Performance, Discipline, Dismissal, Release
Maybe the next head to roll:
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| "Rotarian" Linda Fontanilla. Next? We can hope. |
(OC Reg)
…The district – which includes Saddleback and Irvine Valley colleges – has not publicly said why Roquemore stepped down, and Roquemore could not be reached for comment….
33 comments:
A long time in coming: both Tod and Glenn were too long in the job and too short on good ideas offered by staff, faculty and administrators.
Glenn's tenure as President was probably one of the longest of any President in the CA cc system. He went from School Chair to VP of Instruction and then President, and these moves happened during a tumultuous and very sad chapter in the SOCCCD. He was initially a Raghu protege, which accounts for his rapid rise in the administrative ranks. It looks, however, that the relationship soured a few years later, perhaps because Glenn saw the handwriting on the wall for Raghu, and he wanted to distance himself from his mentor.
I think the Chancellor made a wise move. The time for new top leadership at IVC was long overdue. Now we need to make sure that the hiring process for the new President will be transparent and thoroughly inclusive. This may be a good test for the principles of shared governance and broad participation. We will need to pay close attention.
Thanks for some real leadership after all these years. I have always been disappointed in my colleagues who didn't want more and better for our college maybe because that would mean they would also have to do more and be better. I hope we get it now. Where to start with Glenn? how about when he gave the keys to the library so the student veterans club could have free run of the place whenever they wanted? How about all the approved stipends with no oversight for his pals? Doesn't anyone at district ever look at the figures and hours banked and question if anyone could every do all they say they do? Not enough hours in the day, let alone the instructional calendar.
Good riddance doesn't begin to cover it.
I was so, so disappointed in the IVC Senate leadership dropping the ball on last year's push to hold a vote of confidence in Glenn but am so glad that people spoke up during that time and others paid attention. Obviously it had some effect. Why people were and are so scared of the admin at IVC will remain an issue to sort out and resolve. Our students deserve better and so do we.
Here's the LA Times article about Glenn becoming president back in 2002 (back when newspapers wrote about such things). 2002!
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jul-01-me-ivcprez1-story.html
Long overdue.
His legacy should be in part of making horrendous Administrative hiring
and then using his militaristic top-down ‘Command’ attitude in the face of
evidence of abusive administrators, by stubbornly keeping the bad ones them
apparently because, ‘I made the decision dammit, s/he is my person, how
dare you challenge me’.
Also, of literally being scared of big ideas.
The list will be long and will emerge as the college confronts its long
history and soul-crushing damage done to it.
Oh nooooo, wonder how Diane Oaks feels now that her protector has been removed
I appears Chris McDonald accomplished the job he was hired to do.
Good riddance. Let's now hope critical thought, true and fair leadership come to IVC.
Linda F needs to go too. Can it be a package deal?
To be a president of a community college is a wonderful opportunity to recognize and respect the work of faculty and staff (and SUPPORT them!) and the potential of all of our students (ALL of them!). I hope we get a college president who does just that.
7:27 - Linda needs to go? From what I see she has a lot of support within the college. Especially within student services.
1:27.....hahahaha. Nice try Linda.
Linda has done an admiral job overseeing Student Services. I have worked for her for over 4 years and she has been supportive of our students and has improved support services to ensure their success. Faculty may provide instruction, but Linda has been instrumental in making sure that the key elements of student support (financial aid, counseling, enrollment, veteran services, student Life, International students, Outreach, etc.) have provided the necessary support programs and services to ensure our students success.
Linda is not the problem...don't be so judgmental. She has done many things to help support our students and has been a key leader for IVC. She treats people fairly and is not judgemental in her decisions. She has the support of the support staff and managers of the Student Services departments.
As a former Dean at IVC, I am happy to report that Glenn’s first assignment in administration was totally rigged. Do not forget that Glenn was turned down when he first applied for the VPI. He had no administrative experience. He colluded with Raghu to reorganize the Dean positions to make a space for a presidential appointment. Once he had a year of experience, Raghu chased an extremely competent VPI , Dr. Patricia Spencer, to make room for Glenn.
Glenn was complicit in all of Mathur’s misdeeds. Lists of faculty targeted for dismissal were given to Deans to write evaluations so Raghu could later fire them.
This is the foundation Glenn helped build once Raghu was sent to the District.
Glenn proved early on as an opportunistic conspirator.
Thankfully, faculty held it together.
However, as Saddleback marches on with a new General Science Building and a multimillion dollar football stadium, major area of IVC remain homeless due to Glenn’s passive lack of interest in making IVC fully built, and truly great.
So nice of Linda’s flunkies to chime in and try to save their own little corrupt domains. Nobody is fooled by your pandering. Linda IS part of the problem and part of the incompetence in A100.
I have no doubt that Linda is polite and supportive to the people she needs to be polite and supportive to. I have also seen her in private and in public forums execute poor judgment which calls into question for me her suitability. But she fit right in with Glenn’s authoritarian corporate ethos. Her performance at last year’s open forum in security issues was particularly disappointing. She might do well with some of the counseling she likes to recommend to others.
Within the next few weeks I would not be surprised to see Linda leave due to Ineffectively supervising/mentoring Cessa (Major litigation exposure reference in the board agenda?} Diane and Davit will also more than likely leave or be asked to leave within the next 3-6 months.
Students are still upset about Cessa’s departure and Linda’s office has failed to communicate anything to our students.
Surprised about Bruce and remain dumbfounded as to how the head of District Technology and Learning Services can actually function in that role with degrees in psychology and no Information technology experience.
Here is to hoping the remaining changes happen quickly so that our students, faculty and staff can all move forward.
Linda is the third VPSS I had worked with and compared to the others she Is the most effective in accomplishing programs such as Laser Day, Food Pantry and hiring of the full-time psychologist for our students. Any big decisions she had to make must have had the support of other administrators and the District. She doesn’t just act alone.
Here is a profile of Linda from 2013, shortly after she was hired at IVC: https://dissenttheblog.blogspot.com/2013/12/profile-of-linda-fontanilla-ivcs-vp-for.html?m=1
Linda may be effective but I’ve also seen her pick favorites and be very very cruel. To me, particularly in that position, that trumps (ahem) effectiveness.
Linda is not effective in her job.
She creates adversarial relationships between her teams and the faculty.
She has O understanding on how to work with faculty.
She has a horrible attitude towards the IVC faculty, and it shows.
As someone said earlier, she might be effective in doing parts of her job, but as a VPSS, you need to work with the faculty, and she does not do that. She works against the faculty and makes horrible decisions without thinking of how it will affect the campus at large.
I know for a fact that Linda has directed staff to write positive spin posts for her on this very blog.
Isn't this the VPSS who told students they didn't need nor should they want a Black Student Union?
I think people should stand up for what they believe in. However sometimes that is not compatible for a public institution of higher learning. Don't forget the ultra right-wing homophobic politics of many of our faculty, staff and administrators not so long ago.
I was there when Lisa asked Glenn for an acknowledgement and apology for how he handled that threatening letter - and got it (though I think it was because it was a public event and she was asking in front of people and he was probably afraid of what she would do if he said no.) She also asked him to ask Linda for the same - and he said he would. To my knowledge Linda has never apologized for anything or admitted any misstep on her part, in this case or any other. Perhaps to her superiors but certainly not to people who she considers "below" her. This is one of the issues. She just gets angry, very, very angry and defensive.
She does appear to me to be hostile to and suspicious of faculty.
Like I’ve told facilities for years when you stand up as a group you get shit done. By by Glenn
Bye, bye and by and by--so long Glenn.
I hope his departure will inspire review of many of the processes and procedures he has put into place. I am thinking of California Campus Catalyst Fund grant application of a couple years ago. There is an interesting email chain regarding that grant process that is really revealing in terms of how business is done at IVC, especially when the powers that be do not want it done. I would respect them more if they just came out and said it instead of working behind the scenes to undo it.
Isn't his clock tower supposed to be done by next summer?
Anniversary is coming up!
Glenn seems to have left SCU and started his own consulting business.
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