(Santa Ana, CA) — At a special board meeting on June 30, Rancho Santiago Community College District’s (RSCCD) Board of Trustees approved the appointment of John Weispfenning, Ph.D., as Santiago Canyon College’s fourth president. Weispfenning will succeed Juan Vázquez who retires on August 15, 2014. Weispfenning’s start date has been set for August 4, 2014.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. John Weispfenning as Santiago Canyon College’s next president,” said Raúl Rodríguez, Ph.D., RSCCD chancellor. “Dr. Weispfenning is a talented administrator with 19 years of leadership experience in higher education and a proven ability to connect with students, faculty, and surrounding communities to advance the colleges he has served. I am pleased to welcome him back to the Rancho Santiago family.”
After a nationwide search, 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. After public forums were held at the college on June 23, feedback was provided to Rodríguez, who interviewed the finalists on June 24.
Weispfenning is the current vice president of instruction at Orange Coast College (OCC). He has been at Orange Coast since 2012 with responsibilities for all instructional activities, including curriculum, scheduling, accreditation, assessment, and academic planning. At OCC, he has been responsible for administering a budget of $52 million.
Before joining OCC, he was a dean of instruction at Santiago Canyon College(SCC) from 2007-2012, leading three divisions covering the breadth of arts, humanities, social sciences, sciences and the library with additional responsibilities for accreditation, distance education, faculty development 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.
About Rancho Santiago Community College District
Santa Ana College and Santiago Canyon College are public community colleges of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, which serves the residents of Anaheim Hills, Garden Grove, Irvine, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park. Both colleges provide education for academic transfer and careers, courses for personal and professional development, and customized training for business and industry.
# # #
