Issue date: 10/17/09 Section: News

A new vice president and two new deans were hired this summer, moves the college superintendent insisted were necessary but criticized by faculty leaders.

Nicholas Alioto, a Certified Public Accountant, was appointed vice president of business and financial affairs. Dr. Cidhinnia Torres Campos is the new dean of research, evaluation, and planning. Dr. Mink Stavenga was hired to serve as dean of Instructional Support Services.

Superintendent Dr. Raj K. Chopra and some members of the governing board have said the new hires will fill important vacancies in the college's management team and will help advance the institution.

Many faculty members and college employees disagreed and expressed dismay that three administrators were hired after laying off five much less-expensive employees in June.

Academic Senate President Valerie Goodwin-Colbert welcomed the new administrators, but remained wary of additional hires in Chopra's administrative circle.

"A lack of a long-range administrative plan and the current budget challenges could have reduced the number of administrators, as a whole, on our campus," she said.

Phil Lopez, the faculty union president, said hiring administrators during a time of financial crisis made no sense.

"Do we need to be hiring chiefs at the same time we're firing Indians?" he said.

Alioto said the college's administrative costs have actually decreased.

"In this year's budget, the cost of academic salaries went up per student, but the cost of the administrative and non-academic salaries went down by $100 a student, and that's what you want," he said.

Prior to Alioto's arrival, the position of Vice President of Business and Financial Affairs had been vacant 23 months following the resignation of Dr. Deborah Fitzsimmons.

"You have to look at what are the needs of the college," said Alioto. "At a time where budget cutting is going on and there's real strain on the district financially, that isn't the time when you start getting rid of your finance people."

Continued...

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