Dr. William Scroggins took office as the new president of Mt. SAC on July 1. Scroggins, the former president of College of the Sequoias, replaced Dr. John Nixon who retired.
In an article published on the Mt. SAC website in May, Mt. SAC Board President Judy Chen Haggerty said, “Bill Scroggins brings a wealth of experience as a leader in higher education and is well-versed in the issues and serious fiscal challenges facing the state’s community colleges today.”
Chen Haggerty added, “He is also committed to our values of educational quality and student success, and he embraces our culture of excellence.”
During a May interview with the Mountaineer, Chen Haggerty said, “We do need someone who can take us further [as a college], and that’s why we chose Dr. Scroggins.”
Adjusting to a new school is tough for many students; learning new names, finding the correct classrooms, acclimating to the general student population are all things that new students must face when arriving on a new campus.
The challenge can be even greater for a new school administrator. College of the Sequoias is five times smaller than Mt. SAC and has a different student population. Scroggins noted the differences between his former college and Mt. SAC.
“Well, it’s smaller, 13,000 students compared to 65,000 students and a college is a business; the bigger the business, the more complex the business so there is certainly more going on here,” Scroggins said.
College of the Sequoias is located in Tulare County in the Central Valley, an agricultural area that Scroggins said is the third poorest county of the 58 counties of California.
“Poverty is quite an issue there. The population is almost 60 percent Hispanic and many are new and first generation students,” Scroggins said.
He added that the structure of colleges is the same from place to place but the culture is different.
“A successful president tries to integrate to the culture, instead of changing it,” Scroggins said.
Aside from the differences, Scroggins also comes in at a trying economic time for all community colleges, with Mt. SAC facing steep budget cuts.
Currently, all California community colleges, including Mt. SAC, are facing deep cuts in their budgets due to lack of state funding, leaving administrators to deal with the fallout.
According to an e-mail sent out on July 8 by Dan Troy, vice chancellor of fiscal policy in the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, $400 million in cuts will be made to base apportionments for the 2011-2012 school year.
Prior to leaving office, Nixon formed a plan of action that would carry the school through the end of the year, relaying heavily on reserves and decreasing enrollment for new students, as well as offering retirement incentives to faculty.
“[We took a] 6.2 percent budget cut which translates to 6.2 percent less students accepted,” said Scroggins. “Sometimes the public may have a less informed opinion of why we have less classes offered.”
Scroggins said he plans to continue with Nixon’s plan as well as implement some of his own, which include getting the school to be more energy efficient and relying on the Mt. SAC Foundation to generate revenue for the school. He added that there may be some areas of the college that are overstaffed and some that are understaffed, which may need to be adjusted.
“We will probably not replace full time faculty for the next three years,” said Scroggins. Aside from the budget, Scroggins said his priority is to get to know the campus. He has been speaking to deans and faculty.
Even though Scroggins said he knows that running a college is like a business, he said that faculty is our capital and listening to them is his priority.
“I’ve talked to student leaders on campus, at least once a week I walk around campus and talk to people,” said Scroggins. “The message was clear, [we] don’t have enough classes.”
Scroggins said he is also looking at ways to better serve students, for example, by offering affordable textbooks for students. Scroggins said he plans to work with the Sac Book Rac to make it easier for students, referencing programs like book buyback and book rentals.
Scroggins also met with Dean of Enrollment Management Dr. George Bradshaw to discuss enrollment.
“We’ve spoken on multiple occasions,” said Bradshaw. “We’ve had banter back and forth to talk about enrollment, things of that nature in a professional capacity.”
Bradshaw also commented on Scroggins as a leader and new president.
“He seems committed to helping people and he’s very knowledgeable about enrollment and how we report data,” Bradshaw said.
Kylie Martinez, 21, communications major, had some thoughts on Dr. Scroggins as an incoming president.
“He seems to be very qualified and [I] trust the hiring committee’s decision,” said Martinez. “I expect him to continue pushing Mt. SAC to be one of the best community college in Southern California.”
She added, “Budget cuts are a big issue at community colleges and I would like everyone at Mt. SAC to help out, [but] I know Dr. Scroggins or any one person doesn’t have the ability to change anything alone.”
- Albert Serna
Editor-in-Chief
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