Chancellor Search

Application and Nominating Procedure

The Board of Trustees is being assisted in this search by Academic Search. Nominations, applications, and inquiries may be sent in complete confidence to SJECCDChancellor@academicsearch.org. Initial screening of applications will begin immediately. The position is open until filled, and applications received by January 15, 2024, can be assured of best consideration. 

Application materials should include:

  • A cover letter that addresses the expectations  discussed in the leadership agenda above.
  • A list of at least five professional references with contact information, including telephone and email, and a note indicating the candidate’s working relationship with each. References will not be contacted without the explicit permission of the candidate.
  • Resume or curriculum vitae.

Nominators and prospective candidates also may arrange a confidential conversation about this opportunity with Shirley Robinson Pippins, Ed.D., Senior Consultant, at 
shirley.pippins@academicsearch.org, or Rich Cummins, Ph.D., Senior Consultant, at rich.cummins@academicsearch.org.

 
Minimum Qualifications
  • Master’s degree in a relevant field.
  • At least five years of recent senior administrative experience. 
 
Preferred Qualifications
  • Ph.D. or Ed. D. in an academic discipline, higher education administration, public administration or leadership, or another related field.
  • Leadership experience in a college system environment, especially with a Board guided by Policy Governance.
  • Community college teaching, counseling, or student services experience.
  • Experience or involvement in national higher education community and activities.
  • Experience working with legislators, state government, industry, and diverse stakeholders.
     
Starting Salary Range
$400,774 - $463,944. Generous health and welfare offerings at no cost to the employee.


Desired Starting Date
July 2024
 

San José-Evergreen Community College District Profile:  Chancellor - (PDF)
 

About the Opportunity

The Board of Trustees of San José – Evergreen Community College District (SJECCD) enthusiastically
invites nominations and applications for the position of Chancellor. Candidates will have experience working with a Board organized by the principles of Policy Governance or be willing to learn its key features quickly.  The Chancellor will be a nuanced and strategic thinker who listens deeply to staff wisdom and community needs.
 
The Chancellor will actively partner with civic and community organizations to create a strong economy while fostering economic equity and social justice. The Chancellor will collaborate with other leaders in Silicon Valley who are at the center of reshaping American society in the information age. The connectivity between the District and industry trailblazers is a unique opportunity to spur student-centered learning with artificial intelligence, big data, and analytics tools, poised to drive some of the most dynamic transformations in the history of higher education. 
 
 
The Chancellor will be committed to the values of participatory governance to create the buy-in and institutional engagement necessary to realize the Board’s Ends Statement and Policies and address issues such as strategic enrollment management, technology infrastructure improvements, post-COVID flex scheduling, data analysis, and improved student success strategies and outcomes. The Chancellor will balance a strategic external vision with internal process improvements as an integral and engaged community leader and member of both realms.
 
 
San José – Evergreen Community College District has a long tradition of success. The next Chancellor will recognize the District’s accomplishments, take the work completed thus far, and build upon it, charting a future that leads SJECCD to even greater success. The next Chancellor will celebrate the history, hard work, and the region’s many cultures and join the effort to optimize the District’s impact on the community and its students.
 
The new SJECCD leader will be expected to forge a forward path in a post-pandemic environment.
The Chancellor must identify the silver linings of the pandemic, using the lessons learned to meet the needs of students who are now immersed in virtual technology and universal access. The Chancellor will provide guidance and support through the residual remnants of the pandemic, expanded modalities for teaching and learning, and heightened levels of competition among our neighboring institutions of higher education, both public and private.
 

Our Students

Dually designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution and an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution, SJECCD serves a very diverse student population. A comprehensive list of programs and services supports students throughout the District. SJECCD is focused on meeting the needs of first-generation college attendees through enhanced academic, social, and emotional support services.
 

SJECCD Students by the Numbers 22-23 

SJECCD Students Served: 22,543

SJECCD Student Ethnicity Profile:

​AFRICAN AMERICAN
 		​3.9%
 
​ASIAN (INCLUDING FILIPINO)
 		​35.7%
 
​LATINX
 		​43.4%
 
​AMERICAN INDIAN
 		​0.3%
 
​MULTI-ETHNICITY
 		​3.7%
 
​UNKNOWN
 		​2.3%
 
​PACIFIC ISLANDER
 		​0.4%
 
​WHITE
 		​10.3%
 

Source:  Data Mart, Academic Year 2022-2023


Our District

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, SJECCD encompasses more than 300 square miles, including most of San José and the city of Milpitas. The District includes the areas served by Milpitas Unified School District, San José Unified School District, and East Side Union High School District.
 
SJECCD is comprised of San José City College (SJCC), which was the first community college in Santa
Clara County, established in 1921; Evergreen Valley College (EVC), established in 1975; and the San José – Evergreen Community College Extension at Milpitas, established in 2016.  
 
The District’s institutions play an integral role in elevating the educational and economic profile of the entire region. Guided by a strong District vision, San José City College, Evergreen Valley College, and the Milpitas Extension enjoy broad community support, which has been earned through their individual and collective positive impact on student success and achievement and their ongoing commitment to innovation in order to meet the evolving needs of students and the demands of an ever-changing regional workforce.
 
Since 1998, the community has demonstrated its strong support for higher education through the successful passage of four bond initiatives, the most recent being Measure X in 2016. These bonds, coupled with state funds and private donations, have revitalized the infrastructure of both Colleges, the District Office, and the Milpitas College Extension.
 
Among other amenities, students now enjoy new, state-of-the-art libraries with learning resource labs and technology centers; innovative student services facilities and programs; new classrooms and science labs on both campuses; career and technical education labs and equipment; refurbished athletic and physical education facilities; and modern student centers with bookstores, dining areas, collaborative work and study space.
 
The District is represented by dedicated and talented employees passionate about providing the student population with the best educational experience possible. SJECCD is a District of educators who believe educating the whole student to be the true definition of success. Student Success is everyone’s responsibility, which includes classified staff, faculty, and administrators.
 
To help students excel in all areas of their lives, holistic self-discovery is encouraged, and students learn to collaborate, participate in responsible decision-making, and evaluate their options through an ethical lens. Students leave SJECCD as productive members of society and champions for Opportunity, Equity, and Social Justice.
 

San José City College
San José Junior College was born out of an agreement between San José High School District and San José State Teachers College (now San José State University). The collaboration provided high school students with pathways to four-year colleges and direct paths to jobs in agricultural, manufacturing, and other industries.

From 1921 to 1923, San José High School housed the Junior College in classrooms, and then San José State hosted the Junior College from 1923 to 1953. In 1958, SJUSD changed its name to San José City College. In 1963, a faculty-led effort resulted in a special election to create San José Junior College District in 1963, separating SJCC from San José State and the Unified School District.
 
SJCC’s campus is located in the neighborhood of Fruitdale. Notable buildings on campus include César E. Chávez Library, the Science Complex, the Student Center, the Carmen Castellano Fine Arts Center, and the Technology Center, among others.
 
The library, named after famed Californian civil rights activist César E. Chávez, opened in June 2003. The library is state-of-the-art, with wireless Internet access and data ports throughout the building. The library collection consists of approximately 63,000 books and 200 periodical subscriptions. In addition, the library’s databases make thousands of periodical articles available to students both on- and off-campus.
 
The Carmen Castellano Fine Arts Center was opened in 2012. It is named after longtime local arts booster and community organizer Carmen Castellano. The center includes a fine arts gallery, a theatre and performance space, and classrooms for relevant departments.
 

Evergreen Valley College
The District was expanded in 1964, becoming the San José – Evergreen Community College District. A second college site in Evergreen was chosen in 1967. The campus, set on 175 acres at the base of the foothills of the Diablo Range, was officially named Evergreen Valley College in 1970, opening in 1975. The college expanded to include the biological sciences, nursing education programs, a library, a student center, a center for the arts, and the Montgomery Hill Observatory. 

Campus buildings include a 400-seat Performing Arts Center; the Center for Visual Arts; Sequoia Hall; Acacia Hall; Math, Sciences, & Social Studies Building; Gullo Center; Cedro Hall; Fitness Center; Student Center; Automotive Technology Building; Physical Education Building; Gymnasium; and the Montgomery Hill Observatory. 

Montgomery Hill Observatory is regularly open to free public stargazing events. North of the EVC campus is Montgomery Hill Park, a large city park and the historical site where inventor John Joseph Montgomery conducted his flight experiments 20 years before the Wright Brothers on his glider “The Evergreen.”

Accreditation 

San José City College and Evergreen Valley College are fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). 

Governance

San José – Evergreen Community College District is governed by an elected seven-member Board of Trustees, serving a population of nearly 900,000 people. The Board is committed to operating within the best practices for effective public governance. The framework for this positive relationship is outlined in the Board’s End Policies and Governance Principles. These documents provide clarity for their work and differentiation between the role and function of the Board and that of the Chancellor. 
 
The Board of Trustees holds firm on three matters: 
 
  1. They are responsible for the stewardship of resources and responsiveness to their constituents.
  2. They are committed to speaking with one voice.
  3. The Chancellor and staff are entirely responsible for implementing strategies to achieve the Board’s Ends Policies.

Board Policies

Board policies are the voice of the Governing Board and define the goals and acceptable practices for the operation of the District. Policies implement federal and state laws and regulations. The Governing Board, through policy, delegates authority to the Chancellor. The Chancellor and District employees are responsible for reasonably interpreting Board policy and other relevant laws and regulations that govern the District.
 
Administrative Procedures
 
Administrative Procedures implement Board policies, laws, and regulations; address how the District’s goals are achieved; and define the District’s operations. They include details of policy implementation, responsibility, accountability, and standards of practice. Although Procedures may be developed by the Chancellor, managers, faculty members, staff members, and students, the Chancellor is held responsible for upholding the specific information delineated in the Administrative Procedures. Procedures do not require Governing Board action.

Review Process

All Board Policies and Administrative Procedures are reviewed, revised, and updated according to the SJECCD Cyclical Review Calendar. They are aligned with the Community College League of California (CCLC) Policy and Procedure Service’s numbering system.
 
Consistent with its commitment to meeting the goals of its Global Ends Statement, the Board tracks the progress through reports on indicators or metrics that measure the progress on the two Board’s Ends Policies: Student Success and Community Impact.
 
The Ends Policy of Improving Student Success includes increasing transferability, college readiness, college experience, and degree and certificate completion. The Community Impact Ends Policy includes ensuring that students achieve sufficient career development skills and that District collaboration and partnerships with local industry create job training and placement of students.
 

Leadership Agenda

Effective Leadership and District Governance

  • Demonstrates servant-leadership experience in developing and implementing strategies that achieve an institutional culture of equity and social justice. 
  • Demonstrates success in leading educational and student services improvements and achievements that have improved the educational success of a diverse student body.
  • Knows the California Education Code and effectively implements adopted policies and procedures.
  • Demonstrates collaborative leadership that incorporates the needs of all stakeholders by appropriately supporting the Colleges’ participatory governance systems.
  • Demonstrates leadership maturity and broad perspective to support a strong relationship between the two colleges and the District.
  • Cultivates positive leadership relationships with the Board of Trustees to fulfill their respective roles and responsibilities to achieve effective public governance. 

Program and Service Excellence

  • Supports innovative teaching and learning that improve access, educational achievement, and economic opportunities.
  • Focuses relentlessly on students to fulfill the collaboration and implementation of statewide initiatives.
  • Demonstrates leadership for District-wide integration of student support services, instruction, and administrative services to achieve the goals for student success. 

Fiscal Accountability and Facilities Development and Planning

  • Ensures the District’s fiscal health while being competitive with surrounding academic institutions.
  • Demonstrates professional experience managing construction programs and facilities bonds. Advocates for a systematic approach to the maintenance and expansion of technology infrastructure precisely aligned with the District’s goals for student success.
  • Pursues new revenue opportunities, including grants and fundraising, to increase resources to achieve the goals and objectives in the District Educational and Facilities Master Plans.

College and Community Relations

  • Demonstrates accessibility to students and staff and comfort in spending time interacting with all aspects of our diverse student population on the college campuses.
  • Engages in community/business/industry partnerships to support the District’s overall operation.
  • Demonstrates success in positive public relations and enthusiastically embraces the responsibility to represent the District in the public arena.
  • Promotes strong relationships with a wide range of entities the District serves and demonstrates a highly visible and prominent personal presence throughout the community.
  • Strengthens external partnerships to create a globalminded culture to support the region’s evolving workforce needs.
     

Personal/Leadership Qualities/Traits/Characteristics

  • Excellent communication skills, including being a good listener. 
  • Open, honest, and transparent.
  • Expertise and enthusiasm for public relations. 
  • Collaborative and generous with sharing personal experience and knowledge.
  • Compassionate and flexible.
  • Approachable, friendly, and with a sense of humor.
  • Accountable, dutiful, humble, respectful, and responsive.
  • Calm but determined leadership style.
     

SJECCD Board of Trustees

Mr. Bob Livengood, Board President
Ms. Maria Fuentes, Board Vice President
Mr. Tony Alexander, Trustee
Ms. Wendy Ho, Trustee
Dr. Jeffrey Lease, Trustee
Ms. Karen Martinez, Trustee