All candidates vying to become the next superintendent of Monterey Peninsula College have been interviewed. By now, trustees have likely identified their favorites. Early Friday, they will meet to whittle down their list to two or one candidate, whose campus they will visit in the next few days. “I wish we could have a blend of all four,” said Eric Ogata, a counselor who attended all the candidate forums. “There’s aspects of all four that would be important for this campus.” Walter Tribley, vice president of instruction of Wenatchee Valley College in Washington state, was the last candidate to be interviewed. Each forum has been attended by about 80 people. When Tribley asked the audience how many had seen all the candidates, about two-thirds of them raised their hands. Tribley, a biochemist, has been a champion of nursing and other science and technology careers at his current college and throughout his career. He began his professional path with a passion for biology, which he later channeled into teaching, he said. In the past few years, funding for his college has declined by 30 percent, but the cuts made were done through consensus. Nursing is a strong program at Wenatchee, and he praised MPC for its collaboration with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula to maintain its local program. It would be a model to be replicated with other career paths, he said. “We really need to turn to those partners, to find more sustaining ways for the college,” he said. Tribley said he favors “embedding” administrators in different parts of the college so there is greater communication across departments; a balanced approach to distance learning so classrooms are used more strategically; and focusing on implementing the first two recommendations of the Student Success Act. Signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown last week, the Student Success Act will reshape community college education to make sure students earn a certificate or a degree. Tribley is the candidate who came the farthest and, in many ways, is perhaps the longest shot to be named president. He lacks general knowledge of the California community college system, a specific knowledge of Monterey and its student population, and the state connections some feel the next president will need, say people who attended his presentation. “We need a candidate from California, someone who knows people in Sacramento,” said Lauren Walsh, president of the Monterey Peninsula College Employees Association. “The role of the president is not just locally, but to voice our concerns at the state capital. I don’t see the last candidate doing that.” Walsh attended all the forums but won’t say if he favors one candidate over the rest. On behalf of the union, he has submitted his recommendation to the board of trustees, who will make the final vote. He used information provided by the California School Employees Association on making his selection. The classified employees “feel this is a very important decision for the college. We’ve given our opinions to the board so the right candidate is chosen.” Ogata liked Tribley’s scientific mind, how he described departments as pieces of the same puzzle. “He’ll see where we need to go or where we need to be,” he said. “He’ll put all the pieces together.” The first two candidates were very approachable, Ogata said, referring to Angela Fairchilds, president of Woodland Community College, and Kathryn Jeffrey, president of Sacramento City College. They interviewed Monday and Tuesday, respectively. Larry Buckley, interim president of San Bernardino Valley College, “made relationships feel real,” Ogata said, referring to his presentation Wednesday. “You can feel the connection to history.” While English instructor David Clemens found qualities to like in all four, he bemoaned what he called the “survival mode” the candidates demonstrated. “That could lead to the extinction of all small classes as well as our nationally renowned Great Books Program and our new Creative Writing Program,” he said. “Literature classes are already being rationed and eliminated. Losing the traditional curriculum, I believe, is ultimately suicidal, but in survival mode, no one looks past the present crisis.”
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