Interim pres. visits Calexico campus
CALEXICO — Continued communication between stakeholders involved with the search for a new San Diego State University president can be expected following the interim president’s visit to the Calexico campus Monday.
Interim SDSU President Sally Roush’s visit to the Valley came at the request of SDSU-Imperial Valley campus Dean Gregorio Ponce in the hopes that both the main SDSU campus and the California State University Office of the Chancellor remain well aware of the local campus’ needs.
“The visit was well received and appreciated,” Ponce said in an email.
Roush’s visit Monday marks the second time in as many months that the local campus has had the opportunity to provide input to those entrusted with the SDSU presidential search and ensuring a smooth transition once a president is appointed.
Roush was accompanied by her chief of staff and made time to meet with faculty, staff, administrators, members of the Dean’s Advisory Board and Associated Students (AS).
AS Council Vice President and senior criminal justice major Daniel Valdez was among the several AS Council members who had the opportunity to speak with Roush for about a half hour Monday.
The encounter proved to be a positive experience and left the AS members assured that Roush was sincere about ensuring the main campus and its incoming president are receptive to the needs and concerns of the local campus.
The concerns that Valdez and his fellow AS members shared with Roush echoed sentiments that were expressed by many campus officials during an open forum hosted here on Oct. 17 by the CSU Trustees’ Committee for the Selection of the President.
“The main thing was communication and building a stronger relationship between the San Diego and Imperial Valley campuses,” Valdez said.
Monday provided Valdez his second opportunity to make some of his concerns known, which included the relatively lower number of career fairs and presentations that are hosted at the Calexico campus in comparison to the main campus.
Although Valdez said he understood such largescale events require a lot of planning and collaboration, the process should be examined to determine whether any improvements can be made to benefit the Calexico campus.
“It seems like it could be a little more efficient than what we have now,” Valdez said.
Yet, the 21-year-old Brawley resident said he was left heartened by Roush’s visit Monday, and her vow to pass along the information she had received from local faculty, administrators and staff to her successor.
As someone who did not originally intend to enroll in college after high school, Valdez said he has come to thoroughly enjoy his experience at the university’s local campus, and in particular the convenience of remaining close to home and its smaller class sizes.
“They really help you out and work with you to make sure you get the most bang for your buck,” Valdez said.
Roush has served as interim SDSU president since July 1, and had served as its senior vice president until her retirement in 2013.
A new SDSU president is expected to be announced at the Jan. 31 meeting of the California State University Board of Trustees, the university reported.