"Victory Lap": meeting of the SOCCCD board of trustees — live and direct!

     It's 6:26 and there are no signs that the board has emerged from its closed session.
     Get back atcha asap.
     Tonight's meeting is kinda special, what with IVC Prez Glenn Roquemore suddenly resigning last Thursday. We had been told that his contract was up and a decision would be made (in October) about renewal. I had information (for about six months) that the board was disposed NOT to renew the fellow's contract. —After 17 years! (Good Lord!)
     We at IVC were praying for abject Presidential dump-age. YES!
     But why did Roquemore resign instead of serving out his contract (through June or whatever)? Why resign on the spot?
     A few days before his resignation, the head tech guy was suddenly fired. But why? Lots of rumors.
     Before that, Cessa, the popular-with-some-faculty Student Services person was canned—after she was allowed to return, owing to HR irregularities last Spring in how Roquemore was fixing' to dump her. Roquemore has a dismal history of hiring and firing.
     So it's been pretty wild at the ol' college amongst the orange trees.
     More in a minute.

6:32 - Item 1.3 of tonight's closed session (going on right now) includes this:

A.	Public Employee Discipline, Dismissal, Release (Government Code Section 54957(b).)

B.	Public Employee Performance Evaluation (Government Code Section 594954.5(e).)

1.	Dean, Liberal Arts (IVC)

2.	Dean, Counseling Services (IVC)

3.	Vice President, Student Services (IVC)

4.	Assistant Dean, Financial Aid & Student Support Services (IVC)

5.	Vice President, Instruction (IVC)

6.	Assistant Dean, Health, Wellness and Veterans Services (IVC)

7.	Dean, Fine Arts (IVC)

8.	Dean, Enrollment Services (IVC)

9.	President, Irvine Valley College (IVC)

10.	Dean, Mathematics, Science & Engineering (IVC)

11.	Dean, Online Education & Learning Resources (SC)

12.	Associate Vice President, Extended Learning - Categorical (SC)

13.	Dean, Student Equity & Special Programs (SC)

14.	Dean, Wellness, Social Services & Child Development (SC)

15.	District Director, Research Planning & Data Management (District)

16.	Dean, Economic Workforce Development & Business Sciences (SC)

17.	Director, Research, Planning & Accreditation (SC)

18.	Dean, Mathematics, Science & Engineering (SC)

19.	Dean, Language Arts (SC)

20.	Dean, Health Sciences & Human Services (SC)

21.	Assistant Dean, Emeritus Institute (SC)

22.	Dean, Counseling Services (SC)

23.	Dean, Advanced Technology & Applied Science (SC)

24.	Vice President, Instruction (SC)

Whoa, Nellie!

     6:36 - Prendergast and Lang have emerged. The meeting will start soon.
     Natch, it will begin with a READING OUT of actions taken by the board in closed session. —Actions, perhaps, re the above administrators!
     6:41 - The Chance and Jemal and Wright are present. Not here yet: Whitt, Milchiker, and Jay. The women.
     6:42 - Marcia and Babs have arrived. Pretty quiet in here. A hush.

     6:43 - Prendergast opens the meeting. (I guess.) Terri Whitt has not yet arrived. But they start anyway.
     They go to Item 2.1 — actions taken in closed session
     7-0 vote - claim made - notice of rejection matters alleged March 20 ... 913 allegations...code section 911... authorizes the Chance to issue to issue appropriate notices.
     —That's it, I guess. DANG.

     Invocation by Wright. "Our father who art in heaven, ...fires...off the 405... thankful for our students, pray for guidance..."

 the pledge

     Advancing 6.1 — to accommodate lawyers. ATEM addendum, public hearing. Someone reads: pertains to public hearing... former El Toro station... approval of ground lease, etc. Permits construction of medical office building at ATEP.
     Board questions? None. Public hearing now open. Public testimony (invited speakers). No one comments. Public hearing now closed. Any further discussion? Nope. Concluded. Bang!

6.2 — approval of resolution. Milchiker/Jemal. No requests to speak. They vote: unanimous.
6.3 - approval of ...resolution ground lease... Milchiker/Wright. No speakers. They vote: unanimous.

6.4 - going back to "board reports."
     Starts with Lang: Nothing to say. [I hear he isn't running for reelection. GOOD.]
     Jay: attended two events. Economic Coalition...grin and grip... Also attended the "Saddleback car show." Enjoyed meeting the Auto Tech faculty. "I was so impressed." "It was wonderful." Handed out awards. "Auto Tech" awards. How to remove dents from a car. A fun event for everybody, "esp fathers and sons." A fine example of what the CC offers.
     Prendergast: Econ Coalition event, yada year
     Jemal: Tustin "state of city" address. Mayor Chuck Puckett. Our relation with the city is good, improved over the years. (Used to be very rocky.) ATEP presentation. OC business council annual report. Blah blah blah. Auto show: I was really impressed. The jobs our students are landing.... Exciting about ATEP. Electronic and autonomous vehicles. This Friday night: Teacher of the Year ceremony. Two faculty honored.
     Wright: homecoming event at Saddleback. A "wonderful event", barbecue; stayed for the game against Southwestern College. The football program: "we" did very well this year. (Blah blah blah)
Also: will be going to banquet at Disneyland hotel, Teacher of the Year (he seems to have a Senior Moment)
     Marcia: I attended blah blah (turns on mike)... wanted to highlight Tustin's state of the city. Video, creative and funny. Tustin uses ATEP, a benefit for city. Business Council. Publication: growing importance of CCs... The car show emphasized excellence of Auto Tech program. Students are getting high paying jobs in community. Computer "tech things." Our colleges are very active. Other events: blah, blah blah. Saddleback College Literary Journal presentation. Best ever. Literature and the arts. Women's self-defense. Tail-gate BBQ. Horticulture dept.
     Whitt: for sake of time, will share...conference call...foundation at Saddleback College. Detailed report of success of "our students." "Scholarship, scholarship, scholarship."
     Student trustee (Uriarte?): blah blah blah. Nice accent.

COLLEGE PRESIDENTS:
     SC Prez Stern: blah blah blah. Thanked Roquemore for his warm welcoming when he arrived... Mentions the football team. Very excited about that. (Silver lining to the delay in our stadium.) Finally: updates on enrollment and budgets. Enrollments for Fall, up between 1 and 2%. Most Cal CCs are experiencing decline. Budget is looking good too.

     Acting President (IVC) Cindy(?): blah blah blah. Some pizza event with non-alcoholic beverages. (Good grief.) Veterans will come for innovation conference. Will be there on Friday for Disney Teacher of the Year event.

     Saddleback Student government - honor to be here. 80 members of student government, Proud to announce our Veteran Committee has been revived. Blah blah blah. Undocumented Student week. Speaker spoke. Club Rush. Games, hamster ball(?). Looking forward to November. Gearing up for Spring.

     ASIVC - Pres. Ad hoc committees, blah blah blah. We're now included in Student Senate of CAL. "Should be very exciting."

Move to 4.1 — legislative advocacy overview.

     Guys with Ties walk up. Tie-guy Dale S speaks (works for group hired by district). Thanks for opportunity... Update on legislative activity, past year: 10 pieces of legislation that board took view on. 6 were victorious. Shows chart. AB 1725...
     Senate: two bills we supported were vetoed. (Didn't sound too good.)
     Budget: one major budget initiative... funding of capital outlay projects. Two SOCCCD projects (IVC and SC). Ultimately both included in budget. IVC fine arts project was not in budget, but was eventually added.
     Medical reimbursement issue. —Code limits reimbursement of nurses with high degrees. Sought an amendment. Eligible for reimbursement of health care services provided to CC students. Secured beneficial amendments. Verbal commitment from dept.  — issue will be addressed.
     Lobby Days (?) - blah blah blah
     Issues for Next Year: ballot measures. Student financial aid reform. Affordable housing.
—Thanks for flagging these issues for us. —We want to keep working with you collaboratively.
"Split roll initiative." Sponsors withdrew. CSBA initiative (school boards). Increased funding. Want to increase income tax for millionaires, Initiative campaign coming. Will cost $5 million to wage campaign, down side.
     Affordable housing for students and faculty/staff.

     Any questions? Prendergast: blah blah blah. Lots of thank-you
     Jemal: SB268 - what would that have done? State MediCal... blah blah blah. "Looks like we batted 1000" — good job
     Milchiker: yes, good job. Mental services. The amendment...personnel can work with students with mental health problems. Staff: yes, a state wide (something). Most staff have high degrees and code does not allow reimbursement of those services. Amendment corrects this. Reimbursed by Feds.
Marcia: important services. Mental health problems. Saddleback College Gateway project: how much do we get? Answer $1.7 million. Blah blah blah. 2 billion allocated to CCs. Ultimately, will be a $25 million match. Etc, Gateway.
     Whitt: Outrageous request by For-Profits.  (?) Staff: the issue is not going away. Will come back with another bill, proposal. Other colleges are raising concerns. Will have growing coalition. (Nursing?) Bill: would except for-profit colleges from certain requirements ... expanding enrollments. (Registered nurses.) We opposed it. (Jemal). Displacing our students because... ?

     Next: Capitol Advocacy (Partners).
     Medicaid issue. Blah blah blah. Awaiting state plan amendment. Two gals. Amanda, Kristin, et al.
Thank you for opportunity... We work with congress, agencies, administration to understand where things are going, positioning colleges. Trouble-shoot issues. (Federal.) We build congressional support for things we're trying to do. Building partnerships. Where things are going... See where we can converge on pathway, funding opportunities, impact your bottom line. Drafting language. Resource for info. Experts. We've made important progress in having our members on campus, making expertise available.
     Advocacy to support student veterans. Advocacy, Medical issue. DACA, etc. SALT.
     We're successful as you are engaged. Thanks. Chicago visit to see model program, Saddleback College, etc.
     Looking ahead:
     Will continue to advocate, despite impeachment inquiry (sucking all the air out of the room). Regulatory review. 2020 elections.  blah blah blah.
  cccsounds pretty good. Check it out.

Questions?
     Jemal: Thank you both. Our focus should be on the grants, given focus on impeachment. Right? Prioritize grant funding, staff: not so much legislative advocacy. Not much moving. What can win funding, focusing on that. Multi-year grants. SALT. Jemal: feds raising taxes for us here in CAL. Deficit very high. SALT? Staff: eliminating it was "highly unpopular." How are we gonna do it and when? Senate voted on it last week, but party line vote.... I do think will get SALT deduction back. Jemal and staff disagree about this, optimism. The grant cycles will continue at current levels, despite the paralysis in Congress.
     Jemal: new genocide resolution. Thanks, Armenian Genocide remembrance day. We should tell the truth. Hoping for a good outcome.
     Lang: sorry, but 2026 is when tax bill will expire. Charitable contributions... organizations declined in membership, giving. Will have impact. Evidently, staff is more optimistic.

     Consent calendar: 5.2 pulled. 5.3  - they vote. Unanimous on balance of CC

5.3 - Wright. a small correction on page 4. Revision of Chemistry degree. Remove something.
Unanimous yes

5.2 - Wright reads resolution/resolve. Two campuses as VOTING CENTERS. In interests of democracy, we said yes to this.
     Jemal: starts with 2020 primary (early voting, February).  Unanimous approval. Roll call. (electronic)

6.4 - IVC UC Irvine, something. vote: unanimous.

6.5 - IVC soccer practice field.... Vote: unanimous.

6.6 - SC programs to be offered at ATEP... revised.
     Jemal: a significant change from original plan. Dr. Stern, could you explain rationale?
     Stern: when plan originally laid out... lack of facilities for health care providers. No longer the case. Asked: what would benefit the college, location in Tustin? we put forth revised set of programs that would benefit the community and college in 2020.
     Milchiker: emeritus courses there? Yes.
     Vote: unanimous

6.7 - Grant...Childcare...(IVC no longer has childcare program. Sheesh. Vote: unanimous

6.8 - Stadium change order.
     Jay: says Oct 19th? Not a misprint. Yes. We're way behind. Guestimate? May be done June 2020.
     Wright: same comment. Golly.
     Staff: we're moving along, making progress. Changing personnel. Better synergy. We can fine them for being late. We're tracking that.
     Jemal: maybe better language in contract? Staff: whether this problem could have been prevented.
Accommodating female officials, bathroom. Blah blah blah. Jemal: do we have the right process in place now? Yes. Prendergast: is anyone looking for potential loopholes in the contractual language? Staff: our contractual language is pretty strong.
     Whitt: "so many complaints with the stadium" [construction]
     Staff: the stadium will be beautiful when its built!
     They vote: unanimous.

6.9 - unanimous vote

6.10 - Study Abroad, Dublin
     Vote: unanimous

6.11 - master agreement, Saddleback Foundation and district foundation.
     Marcia: agreement between SC foundation and district. How did that change? Chance: agreement gives authority to raise funds. You need to do this about every five years.
     It's a standard agreement, though there were some changes in Ed Code. "Nothing is really changing."
     Chance: like getting married, every five years renew your vows.
     The district foundation is very small. (Some didn't know it even existed.)
     Jemal: what defines "non-monetary"? Blah blah blah. Boy, they're in the weeds.
. . .
     Whitt: why are we rushing this? Wants to table. Prendergast: we're out of compliance, so, we're trying to get into compliance.

     Guy (auditor?) comes up and yammers. Prendergast: any harm in tabling? No. Staff: my rec, move forward. Prendergast: let's wait til IVC foundation is ready for this. Blah blah blah. Lang: yammers. "It's not gonna get much better or different than it is now." Jemal: how come no-one here from Saddleback Foundation? My bad, says Stern. Prendergast: I don't see any harm in voting on this tonight. Whitt is quietly peeved. Lisa Greenberg shows up, President of Foundation at IVC(?). Does have problem with language. If we have to do "this," we'll have to shut down.
     Whoa!
     So we can acat on this one and wait for IVC.
     They vote: two trustee "no"s-- Jay and Whitt. (Passes with 5)

Voting on 6.12 - unanimous

6.13 - vote, unanimous

6.14 - Board policy revision. Review and Study.
     Milchiker: policy basic aid allocation process. Board removed. Answer: additional language clarifies that "we" are ultimate authority. Evidently, there was a real disagreement here, a real issue. Does change Board's role. (Marcia's onto something.) Perhaps should change language.
     Marcia: harassment policy: unpaid interns. Are there paid interns? Blah blah blah
     Marcia: everyone waits for Marcia. Harassment policy. Worried about: discrimination by ANAPISI?
     Lang: good point, Marcia. — unanimous yes vote.

     Motion to extend meeting to 10:30. (Evidently, the board will go back into closed session after this.) Unanimous vote. SOME COMPUTER GLITCH - WE'RE ALL WAITING FOR COUNTING OF VOTE. GOOD GRIEF. —unanimous.

6.15 - Approval of board policy revisions. No requests to speak. They vote: unanimous

6.16 - no changes. Vote: unanimous

6.17 - tenure track hiring authorization. Vote: unanimous

6.18 - Canvas faculty stipend. Vote: Lang votes no, but 6 yes

6.19 - classified personnel actions. Vote: unanimous

6.20 - vote: unanimous

7.1 - reports

8.0 - reports. IVC Academic Senate. Etc. Mostly no reports.
     VC business services.
     IVC classified senate. Activities this month.

Meeting ended at about 9:00
The Board went back into CLOSED SESSION.
We were told not to expect any actions read out after the closed session—so we went home.

(Why no read out? I think because they were barely making any headway through the closed session agenda and knew they wouldn't get done. Possibly, they were considering a faculty union proposal as well.)

I feel better than James Brown

Ain't life sweet? I feel good
I feel better than James Brown
I feel better now
I feel better than James Brown
I feel better now, how do you feel?

*

Red Scare or Don’t Cry for Glenn Roquemore, Argentina (Rebel Girl)

Good times. Once upon a time: a gangster-themed fundraiser at the PAC. 

Sometimes you go searching for a story while other times you are standing in your driveway, unpacking groceries from your car when the story drives right up and says hello.

That’s what happened to Rebel Girl on Friday.

She had noticed the car following her up Olive Hill. It had turned out of Madame Modjeska’s estate, Arden, and she presumed it was a lost flatlander who she would have redirect and turn around. But it wasn’t. This fellow knew exactly where he was and who she was. It had been awhile  - years! - since they seen each other though they glimpsed each other and their lives on social media.

He was an IVC alum, one of those returning students who had showed up in the mid-90s in creative writing and journalism classes, taking them over and over again.  Already an attorney, he was looking for something new and found it at the little college in the orange groves. An intrepid reporter on the IVC student newspaper, The Voice, he broke the story of the Holocaust denier on the college board (good times) which was picked up by news outlets across the country.  Now, over 20 year later, he is a highly regarded journalist, his byline familiar across the county. He had been at Arden as follow-up to a story he was writing.

They greeted each other warmly.  “You must be dropping by to celebrate the departure of Roquemore,” she quipped.  He hadn’t heard, so of course, she filled him in.

“Did I ever tell you my Glenn Roquemore story?” he asked.

No, she said, do tell.

It was a doozy.  It went something like this:

Years ago, in 2013, Red Emma, Rebel Girl’s sweetie, was hired by the former student, by then an editor of a glossy monthly, to pen profiles of OC residents, not famous people, but extraordinary ordinary people. Red called this gig the best writing job he ever had: the pay was good (great, actually at a time when they needed it); he could choose his own subjects; he was paired with an amazing photographer and he got to work with an ace editor. Among the people Red profiled: the Marine who regularly played his full drum kit on a lonely stretch of Santiago Canyon Road for all to see; the crossing guard at Trabuco Mesa Elementary School; the local meter reader; the sweet potato seller at the Laguna Woods Farmers Market. You get the picture.

Well, a few months into the series, Red’s editor was contacted by the publisher.  The publisher was known to Rebel Girl because she too had once written for two of his many magazines, first as a book reviewer, next as a features writer and monthly columnist.  He was and is a person of stature in the community.

The publisher told the editor that he had received a communication from one Glenn Roquemore. The two men knew each other from the kinds of associations two men like that have: chamber of commerce and other community associations. Roquemore was writing because he was very concerned about a writer on staff - a leftist writer– he wanted to bring this man to the publisher’s attention. The spirit of the communication was that something should be done about this writer who had somehow gotten this job, a position that clearly, in the mind of complainant, he should not have due to his political views.  

The publisher passed the information on to the editor. The editor took note of it and filed it away. Red Emma continued to write.

Now you get a new picture. It’s a particularly ugly picture, one which shows someone using his social and political power to smear, with the hopes of causing someone to lose his job due to, not his lack of qualifications, but due to his political views.

What was Red’s relationship to IVC  (and Roquemore) at the time? Aside from his marriage to Rebel Girl, none.  He had not taught at the college in well over a decade. (The circumstances of his departure here, courtesy of one Howard Gensler, who is, we hear, recently departed from Saddleback.) Instead, he taught at UCI where he is still employed. He was writing for a number of publications which he continues to do. He edits a literary journal for Santa Monica College. He hosts a radio show. One of Red's guests was UCI's Chancellor Howard Gillman, in conversation about the book, "Free Speech on Campus," he co-wrote with  Erwin Chemerinksy. You can check out the interview here. (One might begin to wonder at this point if Glenn also reached out to Gillman about Red's political beliefs...)

Red Emma was making a living doing the work he had been hired to do.

Last year about this time, when Rebel Girl struggled to comprehend how Roquemore and others at the college could have failed to inform her of a threat against her by a former student, she questioned whether it was incompetence or malice. 

She opted for incompetence as malice seemed, so, well, malicious.

But Friday, standing on the dusty road with her former student, hearing this story of Roquemore reaching out to her husband’s employer to object and inform about his political beliefs, to make trouble for him, to  - is there any doubt here? - to get him fired, she wonders if she got it wrong last year. Maybe it was intentional malice after all. Clearly Glenn is capable of that. Clearly. How else to explain this quaint throwback to McCarthyism?

Of course, Red was fortunate that the people Roquemore sought to enlist resisted his overtures, that the publisher and editor didn’t take his red bait. Why? For all sorts of good reasons, one surmises, including the fact they are journalists – journalists! JOURNALISTS in the 21^st century. Geez. And of course Roquemore held no power or sway over them, unlike at the college, where one longtime staff person who has been working there nearly 30 years recently expressed their real fear of losing their job should Glenn or Linda see them walking over to say good-bye to Cessa.

One of Red’s profiles – perhaps the one which brought the series to Glenn’s attention – was of IVC’s own Professor Virginia Shank, still a fairly new faculty member, already distinguished by her teaching (Teacher of the Year in 2014), her writing and her distinctive mode of transportation: the bright blue velomobile. The photo is fabulous. The photographer shot it outside IVC’s BSTIC building, and though you cannot see her, Rebel Girl is in the photo, holding out Virginia’s tie so it appears to be flying in the wind. Her hand was photo-shopped out of the final, which was only right. The effect is stunning. If Rebel Girl remembers correctly, the tie belongs to Virginia’s late father. She still wears it. 

excerpt: 

With her green eyes, red hair, porcelain skin, and stylish retro-Victorian ensembles suggesting both wit, good taste and an eye for vintage clothing-store finery, Virginia Shank unshyly personifies the romantic ideal of the English professor. This young poet and teacher originally from Eden, New York recently earned “Teacher of the Year” at Irvine Valley College, after teaching there only four semesters. The busy little community college in what’s left of an orange grove is lucky to have her. Professor Shank’s curriculum vitae is loaded for serious academic bear: PhD in English from Binghamton, MFA in poetry from University of Idaho, plenty of awards, research and accolades as a student and grad student….

What should a college president have done having read a glowing profile of a new hire, penned by a former employee printed in a high-profile magazine distributed across the county? Perhaps penned a note of congratulation and appreciation to one or both. Perhaps seized the moment to even extend rapprochement to the latter. Redemption is possible. Things do change. Rebel Girl  reminds her students often of this. The semester is long enough to turn things around. So is life.

But what did Glenn do? You know what he did.  He tried to get the writer fired. 

What's your Glenn Roquemore story?



*

Remembering Glenn Roquemore, part 1

Glenn got his start on Team Mathur, 1997

OVERHEARD:

     “We’ve got to have a party!” said the Humanities instructor. “A celebration!”

     “Well, let’s wait a bit. We don’t want to be too obvious about it,” said a faculty friend. “I don’t wanna get fired!”

. . .

     “I bet Diane is feeling a bit queasy this morning.”

     “Yeah, her protector is gone.”

     “I wonder what Linda is thinkin’? She’s gotta be next.”

Clueless Roquemore makes agreement with the enemy, U of Phoenix

. . .

     “It came as a complete surprise,” said the administrator, alone in her office. “We had no idea.”

     I said: “Well, we expected that his contract would not get renewed—and we expected that to come out Monday, at the board meeting. But it was kinda weird how this came down yesterday, what with that ‘conversation with Glenn’ guff. They agreed that he’d leave? What was all that about?”

. . .

     Yesterday, I went in search of Chris M, but he was not in his office. “He’s away today,” said his administrative assistant. “Should I give ‘im a message?”

     “Nope,” I said. I just smiled. She must’ve known what I was smilin’ about.

. . .

     “I feel sorry for his family,” said the former administrator.

     “Really?” I said. “I think they’re sittin’ pretty.”

     “Normally, the President would be expected to serve through June, giving everyone a chance to transition. Maybe, yesterday, he got pissed about getting a bad evaluation and he quit on the spot!”

. . .

                 

     “Do you suppose this thing has something to do with Bruce’s firing a few days ago?” [Bruce Hagan, Irvine Valley College Director of Technology Services; resignation, 10/21]

     “Didn’t Glenn just give him some award recently?”

. . .

For a while, Glenn enjoyed the protection of Trustee Wagner,
now on the OC Board of Supes

Cessa's gone – DtB post, 10/9/19

…A student cried out that at a meeting she and other students were told that due to personal problems, Cessa had decided to leave. That's a lie, the student said, you didn't decide to leave.

Another person pointed out that this is the so-called Year of Equity at IVC and the administration has just fired the single person responsible for bringing measurably increased equity on campus.

Students wept….

. . .

Dissent 2

March 9, 1998

On March 6, 2010, someone left this comment on the blog:

Nepotism reigns with the [IVC] President. Do we have to hire all of your wife's relatives?

     So let's turn to THE WIFE.

     ● Here's an interesting item from October of 2010 (An administrator is fired. Over cake):

Livin' big

     Kiana is held in low esteem by some faculty at the college, in part owing to her reputation for unapologetically exploiting her, um, influence. Evidently, in other ways, too, she does not leave the best of impressions as a colleague and educator.
     Kiana Tabibzadeh, of course, is President Glenn Roquemore's wife.
     On Friday, someone said: "Don't wanna eat a Kiana cake." That sort of thing. Har har. There were maybe eight people in the room.
     Dean Schrader did not encourage the impromptu jocularity. Possibly, she joined in the laughter. She eventually said something to discourage it.
     In any case, it was a fleeting episode about cake--one that briefly tapped into a widely-shared scorn of an arrogant and, well, notorious colleague.

. . .
     The most commonly repeated story concerns Kiana's hiring a dozen or so years ago. Glenn was on the hiring committee. Some on the hiring committee were unimpressed by Kiana. Notoriously, Glenn championed her cause. She was hired.
     He was also dating her at the time. Or so I've been assured numerous times by persons claiming to be in the know.
     Today, I briefly spoke with a former IVC Affirmative Action officer. He told me that he had brought this episode up with then-Chancellor Lombardi, who said he'd deal with it. But, of course, nothing was done.
     I recall an incident seven or eight years ago in which it was learned that Kiana was engineering her selection as "Teacher of the Year." (I was an officer in the Senate at the time.) She had instructed her students to submit the required glowing letters. We couldn't believe it. That time, the scheme was undone, owing to forceful objections from the Academic Senate.
. . .

17 years of this shite

     An administrator told me this story: sometimes, evidently, Kiana will hole up in her office during her office hours and refuse to see students who are waiting to speak with her.
     One such time, her dean knocked on Kiana's door herself. There was no answer.
     Later in the day, the VPI (pre-Justice) visited that dean, explaining to her that, according to Kiana's husband (i.e., Roquemore), the dean's door-knocking had caused Kiana a "near nervous breakdown"!
     Evidently, efforts to have Kiana actually hold office hours were verboten, owing to Kiana's delicate nerves.
. . .
     More recently, Susan Cooper became the dean of this benighted zone of IVC instructors. She soon discovered the then-traditional abuses, including a series of manifestly hinky scheduling practices enforced by their beneficiary, Kiana Tabibzadeh. Cooper was determined to put a stop to that nonsense, but, to the degree that she pressed the matter, to that degree she experienced ferocious push-back from Glenn, who made her life miserable. In the end, she found it necessary to leave the college.
     Not long ago, I had lunch with a former IVC administrator. He or she or it informed me that Kiana's father has been working at IVC for years (admittedly, in some minor role as a test proctor or something similar)--this despite Mr. Fuentes' occasional noisy (albeit hypocritical) accusations of nepotism at the colleges.
     Some of us have complained about these abuses for many years. I recall arranging to meet with newly-elected trustee Don Wagner in late 1998. I had lunch with him at a restaurant across the street from the college. Among other things, I described some of the abuses mentioned above.
     Well, I guess he didn't believe me. Absolutely nothing was done about them. 

. . .

DtB, 2/15/18

   Tabibzadeh has a surprisingly high salary. How come?

     Part of the answer is her doctorate, earned in 2015. I did a little checking and found her dissertation (here). It is entitled "Student Academic Achievement in College Chemistry" (it's a degree in "education leadership," not chemistry), and it was conferred by Trident University International, a tiny, new (2007) for-profit located in beauteous Cypress, CA.

     Trident has no campus, since all of its instruction is online. 

     Tabibzadeh's dissertation committee is curious. Included among its three members are Sanjay Gupta and Brent Monte, both Math instructors at IVC. The committee chair is Dr. Wenling Li, "Doctoral Studies Director" of Trident's College of Education.

. . .

   ● A blast from the past: The Irvine Valley Chronicles, Feb. 6, 2013:

c. 2012 -Vacationing in Hawaii (?) with probie Scott

Kiana wears the bollocks

     Did you know that one of the current probies [Dan Scott] is a close personal friend of the college President? Gosh, I do hope everyone is on their best behavior. It will be interesting to learn who'll get tenure and who won't.

     —Well, maybe not "interesting."

Note: Scott did receive tenure

     ● In her dissertation, Tabibzadeh thanks "Dr. Mary Scott." This would seem to be the wife of IVC business instructor Dan Scott, who, along with Mary (Provost at Concordia U), vacationed with the Roquemores despite Dan's probationary status. (See photo above.)

     Golly.

     ● Dan Scott is a Doctor of Business Administration (DBS), evidently. And where'd he get that degree? U of Phoenix, natch. (The institution is "unranked," of course, by U.S. News & WR. Why? "School refused to fill out U.S. News statistical survey.") As you know, Roquemore, inexplicably, has a high regard of UoP. Selectivity? "Least selective."

Special relationship w/ Prez

     ● According to his LinkedIn page, Scott worked as an adjunct at Concordia U from 2004-2009. If he was married to Mary, Provost of Concordia (2006), at the time—BINGO! It's nepotism time once again.

     Evidently, Scott also worked for the ethically challenged ARAMARK corporation for 19 years.\

Glenn in the "good old days" with various corrupt bastards . . .

Posted by Roy Bauer  May 05, 2015

ONCE AGAIN, ROQUEMORE BLOWS OFF PROCESS

¡I am the process!

     DtB readers know that Irvine Valley College has a very mixed record with regard to its invited commencement speakers. Some have been good. Some have been embarrassing in one way or another. (Plagiarism anyone?)

     The chief difficulty here is familiar: the piss-poor leadership of IVC Prez-for-life Glenn Roquemore, that remarkably non- (or anti-) academic fellow (he hangs out a lot at the Chamber of Commerce and gives speeches over at the knuckle-dragging Pacifica Institute), who generally finds ways to get who he wants at commencement, despite student or faculty preferences—and the demands of process!—to the contrary.

     This year is no exception. The college has a process according to which a committee, with wide representation, arrives at a list of carefully winnowed committee-approved candidates. The committee’s suggestions are sent up to the Prez, who makes the final selection. 

     For years, the Reb, among others, has suggested inviting the inimitable Gustavo Arellano(aka "The Mexican" of "Ask a Mexican!"), editor of the OC Weekly, to speechify. No matter the strength or weakness of the alternatives, Roquemore has always nixed the Mexican. Upon repeated Roquemorian rejections at IVC, Gustavo has given commencement addresses at UCLA, among other fine institutions of higher learning.

Glenn always hated the Mexican

     This year, Gustavo made it to the IVC committee’s winnowed list of faves. 

     But no. At a recent meeting, the President’s rep on the committee—chair Diane Oaks—essentially declared that the committee may not suggest Mr. Arellano. And so his name was taken off the list. The list was forwarded, sans Mexican.

     So tell me. What’s the point of having a process in which a committee, with wide representation, chooses the candidates and the Prez makes the final selection, if the Prez also determines who can be on the committee’s list?

When in doubt, jump out of an airplane and smile

Glenn loved to invite his pal, OC Sheriff and felon Mike Carona

Roquemore's GONE

 "Our long institutional nightmare is over."

1:39 p.m.

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.

Cindy Vyskocil
(Vice Chancellor of Human Resources)

Kathleen


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:

"Rotarian" Linda Fontanilla. Next?
We can hope.

Irvine Valley College president abruptly steps down after 17 years
(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….