Candidate Forums Set for May 25

(Orange, CA) - After a nationwide search, three finalists for the next president of Santiago Canyon College in Orange, CA, have been named. The finalists, in alphabetical order, are Gregory Anderson, Ed.D., vice president of instruction at Cañada College; John C. Hernandez, Ph.D., interim president at Santiago Canyon College; and Daniel W. Walden, Ph.D., vice president of academic affairs at Los Angeles City College.

Judy Chitlik, Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) interim vice chancellor of human resources, said 37 candidates applied for the position and 12 semi-finalists were selected. The screening committee narrowed the field to three finalists.

The finalists have been invited to participate in three public forums with Santiago Canyon College students, faculty and staff, SCC Foundation board members, community and business leaders.

The three public forums are slated for Thursday, May 25, at Santiago Canyon College, Humanities Building 106, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, CA 92869. The first forum with Hernandez will begin at 1:00 p.m. The second forum with Walden gets underway at 2:00 p.m. The third forum with Anderson takes place at 3:00 p.m.

Each forum will last 50 minutes with the following format: introduction of candidate and candidate opening statement, questions from the moderator, questions from the floor, and candidate closing remarks. Evaluations will be distributed after each candidate’s forum and the results will be tabulated and shared with RSCCD Chancellor Raúl Rodríguez, Ph.D.

Rodríguez, who will interview each candidate, will make the final recommendation for the position to the RSCCD Board of Trustees on June 12. It is hoped to have the new president in place by July 1, 2017.

Biographical information on the three finalists is listed below in alphabetical order:

Gregory Anderson, Ed.D.

As Cañada College's vice president of instruction, Gregory Anderson, Ed.D., leads transfer, basic skills, career technical education, equity initiatives, online learning, academic partnerships, and learning support programs. He also serves as the Title IX Coordinator and co-directs ACCEL--a Bay Area coalition on adult education.

Previously, Anderson was dean of learning resources at De Anza College, with institutional responsibility for student success initiatives, library services, technology, and online learning. He also earned tenure, served as Academic Senate president, and taught for seven years.

Anderson's professional career has taken him around the world, teaching and directing programs at community colleges, universities, and K-12 schools in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and South America. While on the University of Southern California’s (USC) faculty, he led major university initiatives. A former Peace Corps volunteer, Anderson speaks several foreign languages, including Spanish, Japanese, French, and Sesotho.

His academic credentials include a doctorate in higher education from USC, an M.A. in Teaching English as Second Language from the School for International Training, and two bachelor's degrees from the University of Wisconsin. A frequent presenter at state and national conferences, he has authored various articles, recently contributing to Engaging Diverse Populations: Theoretical Perspectives and Practical Approaches.

Anderson also contributes at community, state, and national levels, as vice president of the RP Group and has recently been elected president of the board of the state's chief instructional officers. He has also served as a National Community College Scholar Fellow in Princeton, worked on many Chancellor's Office committees, and been elected as board member of various professional groups.

John C. Hernandez, Ph.D.

John C. Hernandez, Ph.D., has been in the field of student affairs for 32 years, nineteen of those years in administration. He assumed his duties as interim president of Santiago Canyon College (SCC) on July 1, 2016. Since 2005, he served as vice president for student services at SCC where he has been an advocate for increasing opportunities for students and for partnering with others to provide a seamless delivery of support services.

Additionally, since 2009, he provided administrative leadership for the college's foundation. In that role, he created the necessary infrastructure to ensure a sustainable foundation with an improved capacity, including: enhancing board development, ensuring the creation of a five-year strategic plan, purchasing a sophisticated donor management system, securing foundation funding to create a dedicated development officer, and creating a budding alumni network.

Prior to his tenure at Santiago Canyon College, Hernandez served in the following administrative roles: associate vice president and dean of students at Cal Poly Pomona; associate dean for student development at Santa Ana College; and assistant dean for student affairs at California State University, Fullerton. Additionally, he has served as an adjunct instructor in the Student Development in Higher Education graduate program at Cal State University, Long Beach, and taught counseling and student development courses at various colleges.

Hernandez earned his Ph.D. in College Student Personnel Administration from the University of Maryland, a master's degree in counseling with an emphasis in student development in higher education from CSU Long Beach, and a bachelor's degree in sociology from CSU Fullerton. He earned an associate in arts degree at Fullerton College.

As a first-generation, immigrant who is the product of the California community college system, Hernandez knows firsthand the impact of a community college education. His educational journey was positively shaped as an EOPS student at Fullerton College.

Daniel W. Walden, Ph.D.

With a diverse background in teaching, research, and administration, Daniel W. Walden, Ph.D., is currently serving as the vice president of academic affairs at Los Angeles City College. As the college's chief instructional officer, he serves as an assistant to the college president and plans, organizes, administers, and supervises the instructional programs of the college.

Previously, Walden served as dean of institutional effectiveness, dean of academic affairs, and senior research analyst at Los Angeles Southwest College. He also served as the college's accreditation liaison officer. Earlier, he served as a research analyst at Cypress College.

His years of direct administrative experience include serving as a dean of academic affairs that included assignments in student services, dean of institutional effectiveness, as well as vice president of academic affairs. In addition, he has extensive accreditation experience serving for nine years as an accreditation liaison officer and as an external evaluator on ten accreditation teams. He has worked extensively with campus and district budgeting processes and actively participated in administering almost $700 million in bond projects to renovate and build new campus facilities.

He earned a Ph.D. in education with a focus in higher education administration from Claremont Graduate University where he also completed an M.A. in education. He completed college courses in five degree programs specifically focusing on ethnic and cultural diversity and has worked with academic programs over the past fifteen years to improve effectiveness in serving under-prepared and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in sociology from California State University, Long Beach, and an associate degree from Cerritos College.

About Santiago Canyon College
Santiago Canyon College (SCC) serves about 17,000 students each semester. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions and careers, and provides courses for personal and professional development, as well as customized training for business and industry. The college is recognized for its adult education program which keeps the working adult - and seniors - in mind by offering flexible schedules, and community locations. Serving the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park, SCC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District.

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