Alright I'm on the clock and I'm gonna take an extra minute so let's get started here.
As a witness to 26 years of leadership
of every kind here at our college
I've been able to observe campus leadership at many levels from department meetings to board meetings.
This has not always been easy to watch
or has been good for my soul for that matter.
But I have certainly had an eye full.
This doesn't make it easier for me to tell you the one
way leadership works or how it happens all the time.
I just know that I know leadership when I see it, and I think you know leadership when you see it.
I think what clarified this shared understanding for most of us
about campus leadership
started nearly
a decade or more ago when we began this long parade of individuals who came to us
offering what they call leadership.
This began I think with a woman from New York who closed herself in the president's office and didn't know what
to do.
And lasted all the way through the final sad days
of she who must be obeyed.
I won't say anymore about this extended reign
of error. It is over.
We don't need to say anymore about it.
Today is about right now and about the future.
I do however want everyone to remember how we got through those bad years together.
And how we adapted together. To massive
cuts just when we thought things were starting to go right again.
We have certainly learned two
important lessons from these difficult years about our college and about ourselves.
First it does matter who the president is.
In fact it matters
quite a bit.
If you don't think so
remember
any two presidents from the last decade or so
and then say Linda Lacy
without cracking a smile.
The second thing we have learned
more important lesson we've learned about leadership
is that it matters greatly who we are.
In fact it matters mostly who we are.
The leadership that got us through our worst years was the leadership of us.
The people who care about this college and the students we are here to serve.
This leadership really has nothing to do with annual salary or job title or degrees held or
papers presented at conferences or books or anything like that. It's been about people, regardless of job title working together to make things better.
This leadership has always come from the same group of people actually though the membership of the group is always changing.
Older people leave
and younger people come to replace them.
Membership is actually not required but is really simple to achieve.
three questions three answers
Are students the first priority in your campus world?
That's a yes.
Are you here to make the college better?
There's the second yes.
And when things are difficult, do you plan on quitting on us? If that's a no answer
than you're part of the solution and
you're now a campus leader.
This simple process has worked for us through good times and through bad.
This is all I'm going to tell you about campus leadership.
I am now going to show you some of it
and many of it's forms, not all of it's forms, but many of them.
Let me remind you for a couple minutes here just exactly who we are.
If I call your name please stand and remain standing, there's a little theme in this about standing so please stand up.
Dr. Gaik,
Dr. Palumbo, if you're not here, you don't have to stand up. Crystal LoVetere, Susan LePere
These are faculty members
who no matter what was going on here
leadership at the top, no leadership at the top
confusion, board changes, whatever they were doing they always remembered one thing comes first.
And that's the students. And they stayed with that over their careers.
Many of them have served in several different roles around campus. But it always for them came back to students.
Speaking of students I'd like to have Lance
our student body president stand for evidence and stay with us
and the student trustee Jason Macias and all the Vice President over here please stand. These young campus leaders have (applause)
stay standing please. They work for example with AJ, Amna Jara where are you please stand up. AJ works our there in associated students.
Faculty advisor, graduation planning and a bunch of student activities stuff that we know very little about
she takes care of all of it.
Think about curriculum without Rich Cameron and Pam Chambers.
5 days a week (applause)
... meeting deadlines, and you've seen it. Piles and piles of paper and homework.
There's Solomon Namala, Armando Soto,
Michelle Lewellen, Deb Moore
these are really important people. (applause) Hold the applause cause I am on the clock.
Solomon's leadership has led to what i think of as a galactical climate change
on our campus, I mean
he did that through.
It's a profound significance was he's done through collaboration, kindness, approachability
sound reasoning, thoughtfulness, humility
and by the way none that happens
without his right hand person Armando Soto there, his wise counsel and determination always at Solomon's side.
Michelle's been our department chair for 6 years, senate secretary, she's always in
Sacramento as a union rep.
And has probably dealt with department chair stuff like nobody in the last 20 years, okay?
Deb Moore past senate president
works with Solomon and Michelle on the Planning and Budget committee.
is always here to support what is right and fair and reasonable.
Some think Deb's quite, but she always manages to say the right thing at the right time.
Just like another
campus leader, Jack Swanson, stand up Jack. Jack's been a department chair, he's a senate member, on our bargaining team, and he's
always been a friend to faculty.
We can see leadership in every constituency group on campus.
Sharon, stand up please. And Donnie Hawkins, stand up please. Ryan, if you're here stand up too
Manager Dave Moore he a new campus manager, he's gettin things done all over the place.
These people work outside where it's wet and hot and cold and people can be grumpy and they try to do good work every single day and help people
no matter what the job requires of them.
I want to point out some former faculty members as well who are now deans. One's up here on the stage David Fabish. Please uh, Sandy Marks,
Nick Real, Gary Pritchard please stand also. (applause)
Ben Ben Pendalton is here. Everyone knows Ben. Ben's seen it all he's still (applause)
I hope Lynn Laughon is here please stand, and Debbie Thomas if she's here please stand up.
Current CSEA president
Angela Hoppe-Nagao, Angela Nagao chair faculty senate. Tracy, senator,
counselor. Terry Lopez assessment coordinator
working with the departments
with Graciela who's out there in Adult Education please stand up. Scott O'Neil senate president. He's a hard working dude.
Please stand up. There are many others, but there's not enough time.
There's Ann Voorhies nursing chair, faculty senator, Adelle Krayer dental hygiene, faculty senate. Carlos Arce, senator, hiring standards.
Roger Ernest. Teacher, senator, campus
instruction god.
And many others all around campus.
And if the great white sharks are here Mark and Frank, stand up.
You're part of the leadership. Now, looking at this group of
leaders
I hope it brings a smile to your face.
If not
maybe you should come out of your workplace once in a while and see
what's going on around here.
Pay attention to the people who it's my privilege to be up here on the stage with today.
Pay attention to the people standing around you.
You are looking at campus leadership that matters.
I haven't said our world is perfect
I have said our world is getting better.
Take a look around now and decide where you want to stand.
The world we are creating here at Cerritos College is the world
we are creating here at Cerritos College.
Please everybody, stand up for good things happening, stand up now.
Thank you very much.