It has been six months since I stepped back onto Santa Barbara City College’s campus, now as the superintendent/president of the district.

What an honor to receive the call to return to SBCC — a college I have felt deeply connected to since leaving 14 years ago after serving nine years as dean of Educational Programs overseeing all of the Career and Technical programs.

While I was away, this extraordinary place has seen its fair share of triumphs and challenges, of which the latter seems to have been louder in the community of late.

It is time for that negativity to stop, as SBCC has been a place to positively develop and to be innovative for our region since its inception in 1909.

As one of California’s first and oldest community college districts, our campus will focus and return to the basics:

• Grow enrollment to a sustainable size
• Engage more deeply with our community members
• Achieve financial stability

Thus, I am restarting a monthly SBCC president’s column with Noozhawk, a tradition that my predecessors created and I plan to keep alive.

So, what have I seen these past six months?

A warm welcome to me from our campus and community; an opportunity to bring stability to SBCC, which has been through seven superintendent/presidents in the past decade; and, the need for more in-person instruction as we build back after COVID-19 isolation.

Given the state’s recent budget deficit, I am also encouraging staff, faculty and administrators to work together to ensure our college’s budget is sound.

I am sort of a “budget geek,” so this type of work is both interesting and energizing for me.

An example of a warm community welcome was when I marched with the Martin Luther King Jr. Santa Barbara Committee to honor and commemorate civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on his birthday on Jan. 15. Thank you to the MLKSB Committee for creating a place for us to gather and honor King and local heroes like the late Sojourner Kincaid Rolle.

I was joined at the MLK events by SBCC trustees Anna Everett and Charlotte Gullap-Moore, and Jordan Killebrew, SBCC executive director of Public Affairs and Communications, and his partner, York Shingle.

I will share with you what I sent in a message to our campus about King: His work and legacy remind us to reflect on how we can be better as individuals and as a connected collective community.

It is a priority in this often polarized society that we weave the tenets of King and what he worked toward into all that we do: our actions, our thoughts and our words — honoring him and what we should ALL stand for every day.

One more thing … Why SBCC?

I ask you to take a moment to (re)engage with SBCC.

I am here to lead the college with student success in mind. Whether you are a traditional student looking to explore your educational interests, a community member who wants to expand your professional development, or someone wanting to learn more about auto repair — SBCC is for you.

Whatever your educational dreams, I hope you will engage with SBCC to turn them into tangible realities. Start at MySBCC.org.

And if you are an SBCC alumnus, we want to connect with you! Please join our alumni community and newsletter with SBCC Alumni Connect.

I will say it again … SBCC is a special place. I am thrilled to join the incredible faculty, staff, students, administrators and members of the Board of Trustees in working to make it even more special.

I am here, committed, and already getting to work for the betterment of our campus and our community.