2012-2013
The Interim Presidencies, 2012-2013
The San Bernardino Valley College presidency was filled by interim appointments after President Daniels resigned at the end of fall semester 2011. In February 2012, Dr. Larry Buckley became the interim president. He had served as vice president of instruction at the college since January 2010. Previously, he was a professor and administrator in higher education for some 27 years in both California and his native Hawaii. Buckley served for almost a year as interim president, until December 2012. In January 2013, Dr. Glen Kuck, the District’s Associate Vice Chancellor of Technology and Educational Support Services—overseeing the Distance Education, Administrative Applications, Technical Services, and Printing Services departments—was appointed interim president while the search for a permanent president continued. He served until March 2013.
Staff, faculty, students, and community members arrived at the SBVC President's Conference Room to officially welcome new Interim President, Dr. Glen Kuck (left) in 2013. As in years past, Valley continued to develop cooperative relationships with industry leaders to the benefit of students, employers, and the local economy. Valley College and the San Bernardino Municipal Water District developed the Operator-in-Training program to provide internships and hands-on experience of wastewater treatment plant operations for students taking water supply tech courses at Valley.
Southern California Gas employees in the Utility Workers Union of America Local 132
received professional development training in computer information technology, which
helped employees facing layoffs to advance in the company instead. Valley College
welding students were given the opportunity to participate in a welding internship
program, with a pathway to journey-level maintenance mechanics, offered by California
Steel Industries of Fontana to meet production increases.
Valley continued to receive recognition for serving Hispanic students. Valley was
the only two-year college to receive a $100,000 grant from Walmart and a consortium
of minority-serving organizations for efforts to promote graduation of Hispanic students
in 2011 and 2012. Valley College was ranked 38th in the nation and 6th in California
among two-year institutions enrolling the most Hispanic students in The Chronicle
of Higher Education’s Diversity in Academe edition of September 30, 2011.
The SBVC Business Building reopened in 2013 after a complete overhaul. Major campus construction projects related to earthquake safety were mostly finished by 2012, but other important building projects and transitions continued. The Observatory, built in 1930 and Valley College’s oldest building, reopened in April 2012 as a science museum through the efforts of planetarium specialist Chris Clarke and student volunteers. The museum features vintage scientific equipment from classrooms and labs saved from the past decade of campus rebuilding. With funds from Measure M—passed by voters in 2008—the Business Building was gutted in 2011 in order to be completely reconstructed and modernized, with a scheduled reopening for 2013. Measure M funds also supported the Central Plant Project, launched in 2012. The Central Plant was planned to provide a more efficient cooling system throughout campus, using thermal energy storage, saving Valley about $180,000 each year.
The Veterans Resource Center was dedicated in August 2012. The center helps veterans transition from the military to college and offers information about benefits, scholarships, employment, and community resources as well as educational guidance and tutoring on a variety of subjects. Across the street from Valley, the Middle College High School campus opened in March 2013 after being housed for 12 years in portable classrooms. A joint venture between Valley and the San Bernardino Unified School District, the school continues to win awards and increase enrollment. A ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2013 marked the opening of the new, full-fledged campus of Middle College High School.
Students continued to benefit from the services offered by the Student Success Center: into its first year, from 2011 to 2012, student tutors logged over 25,000 hours, with more than 70 tutors trained and helping other students each semester. Both the Student Success Center and the Library have expanded weekday hours and are opened on Saturdays in order to better meet students’ needs.
In 2012, the Inland Empire Media Academy, part of the RTVF program, launched its first annual International Student Film Festival, a showcase for student and amateur filmmakers that awards cash and equipment prizes for various creative and technical categories. The festival includes workshops and learning opportunities and gives students a chance to participate in a local festival to prepare them for the professional film festival experience.
Ignoring administrative upheaval, Valley College students continued to succeed. In 2012, The Psychiatric Technician Program had the highest passing rate on the California state licensing exam for the second quarter in a row, with 100% of students passing. The program maintained its No. 1 ranking in California for this student achievement.
The Arrowhead News, Valley’s newspaper by students and for students, was officially relaunched in October 2012 with a new online-only format. Students in the journalism class learn the basic tenets of journalism and all aspects of newspaper production. Continuing the great education started at Valley, students benefited from more clearly articulated classes for transferring to UC or CSU campuses. In 2011-2012, more students than ever were accepted to top university such as UCR, UC Berkeley, and UCLA.
Valley’s strong tradition of student activism continued. In March 2012, MEChA and Associated Student Government organized a March for Education to protest the state’s budget reductions in education and imposition of higher student fees. Interim President Buckley addressed the protesters and answered questions after they marched to the Administration/Student Services Building. A few days later, more than 100 students took two busses to join thousands of others in Sacramento for the annual March rally to support California public colleges and universities and protest budget cuts to public education. In fall 2012, voters passed Proposition 30, which increased taxes to prevent budget cuts to California public schools.
Dorothy Inghram, one of Southern California’s most iconic educators and a Valley College alumnus, passed away on March 14, 2012, at the age of 106. Inghram attended San Bernardino Valley Union Junior College and graduated from the University of Redlands with degrees in music and education. While a Valley College student, Inghram composed the music for the SBVC Alma Mater. Inghram was the first African American teacher in San Bernardino County; throughout her long and distinguished career, she was also a principal, a superintendent, and an author. A branch of the San Bernardino Public Library is named in her honor.
