​Candidate Forums Set for June 23

(Orange, CA) — After a nationwide search, two finalists for the next president of Santiago Canyon College in Orange, CA, have been named. The finalists, in alphabetical order, are Tim McGrath, J.D., vice president of instruction at San Diego Mesa College, and John Weispfenning, Ph.D., vice president of instruction at Orange Coast College.

John Didion, Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) executive vice chancellor of human resources and educational services, said 35 candidates applied for the position during the March to May application period and 12 semi-finalists were selected. The screening committee narrowed the field to two finalists.

The finalists have been invited to participate in two public forums with Santiago Canyon College students, faculty and staff, SCC Foundation board members, community and business leaders.

The two public forums are slated for Monday, June 23 at Santiago Canyon College, Humanities Building 106, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, CA 92869. The first forum with McGrath will begin at 1:30 p.m. The second forum with Weispfenning gets underway at 3:00 p.m.

Each forum will last one hour with the following format: five-minute introductory remarks made by the candidate followed by a question and answer period. Questions will be collected from the audience and posed to the candidate by search committee members Jimmy Ko, SCC Associated Student Government president, Zina Edwards, SCC counseling assistant, and Corinna Evett, SCC associate professor of English and Academic Senate president. Evaluations will be distributed after each candidate’s forum and the results will be tabulated and shared with RSCCD Chancellor Raúl Rodríguez, Ph.D.

On June 24, Rodríguez, who will make the final recommendation for the position to the RSCCD Board of Trustees, will interview each candidate. The candidate selected will succeed Santiago Canyon College President Juan Vázquez who is set to retire on August 15, 2014.

Biographical information on the two finalists is listed below in alphabetical order:

Tim McGrath, J.D.

Tim McGrath has served as a California Community College administrator for 16 years. Presently, McGrath is in his sixth year as vice president of instruction at San Diego Mesa College where he oversees six schools and all instructional programs. His roles include serving as a member of the executive team, chairing or serving on all major campus planning and administrative committees, working as the accreditation liaison officer, and representing Mesa College at district administrative meetings and in the community.

Prior to his experience at Mesa College, he worked for seven years as the dean of student learning at Moorpark College. He had both instructional and student service responsibilities, including chairing the primary campus planning committee, working as the co-chair of the accreditation committee, and serving as the co-chair of the technology and distant education committees.

His administrative career began at Rio Hondo College where he worked as the dean of business and technology for three years. His responsibilities included day-to-day management of all vocational programs, including scheduling and budget oversight. He served on the various campus committees including curriculum and staff development, represented the campus at various community events, and worked closely with student services in recruiting high school students to the college.

McGrath has also served as a community college instructor of business law, small business management, and finance. He has also taught undergraduate university courses, including introduction to business, business management and ethics, business law, entrepreneurial management and finance. He has also served as a graduate instructor in an MBA program where he primarily taught business law and ethics.

McGrath’s academic credentials include a Juris Doctorate from Western State University, College of Law; a Master of Science in Administration from Pepperdine University; a Bachelor of Science in Law from Western State University College of Law; and an Associate of Arts degree from Santa Monica College.

John Weispfenning, Ph.D.

John Weispfenning, Ph.D., is the vice president of instruction at Orange Coast College.  He has been at Orange Coast since 2012 with responsibilities for all instructional activities, including curriculum, scheduling, accreditation, assessment, and academic planning.

Before joining Orange Coast, he was a dean of instruction at Santiago Canyon College from 2007-2012, leading three divisions covering the breadth of arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences and the library with additional responsibilities for accreditation and institutional planning.

Prior to that, he was associate dean for academic affairs at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.  Earlier, he was an associate professor in the Department of Communication at Otterbein, which he joined in 1995 and chaired from 1999-2004.

He is the author of more than two dozen scholarly publications and papers dealing with media organizations, processes, and content.  His research has been published in the Journal of Communication, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, and Mass Comm Review. In March, he served as moderator for the panel entitled, “Heartache Tonight: Leading Enrollment Management in a Changing Environment” at the 2014 Spring Conference of the California Community College Chief Instructional and Chief Student Services Officers.

A North Dakota native, he worked as a journalist and broadcaster for radio stations throughout the Midwest.  He has served as an expert witness and consultant in libel lawsuits involving television and radio broadcasts.

Weispfenning has served on the Executive Board of the California Community Colleges Chief Instructional Officers, on the Executive Board of the Council of Chief Librarians of the California Community Colleges, as the executive director of the Speech Communication Association of Ohio, and as the chair of the Mass Communication Interest Group of the Central States Communication Association.

Weispfenning received his doctorate from Purdue University.  He earned a Master of Science in Communication from North Dakota State University and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from Minnesota State University, Moorhead.

About Santiago Canyon College
Santiago Canyon College (SCC) serves about 14,000 students each semester. The college prepares students for transfer to four-year institutions and careers, and provides courses for personal and professional development, as well as customized training for business and industry. The college is recognized for its adult education program which keeps the working adult—and senior—in mind by offering flexible schedules, and community locations. Serving the residents of Anaheim Hills, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park, SCC is one of two comprehensive colleges under the auspices of the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Visit http://www.sccollege.edu to learn more.

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