College District Names 3 Chancellor Finalists

The Los Angeles Community College District has named three finalists in its search for a new chancellor and may choose one of them as early as next week, officials said.

Mark Drummond, the previous chancellor of the nine-college, 130,000-student system, became head of the California Community Colleges in January 2004.

Peter Landsberger, the interim chancellor, said he decided to not seek the job so he could spend more time with his family.

The finalists will participate in a candidates forum that is open to the public Tuesday, said district spokeswoman Lynn Winter Gross.

The three:

* Stan Arterberry, chancellor of the West Valley-Mission Community College District in Santa Clara County. Before joining that district in 2002, Arterberry was superintendent-president at Solano Community College in Solano County.

* Irving Pressley McPhail, chancellor of the Community College of Baltimore County, Md., since 1998. Previously McPhail was president of St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley in Missouri.

* Darroch “Rocky” Young, interim senior vice chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District since 2004 and president of Los Angeles Pierce College since 1999. Before that, Young was vice president of planning and development for Santa Monica Community College.

The candidates were selected in a nationwide search by a committee that included faculty, administrators and community members.

The forum will be from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Los Angeles Trade-Technical College’s Learning Resources Center at 400 W. Washington Blvd. Each candidate will have about 50 minutes to introduce himself and answer audience questions.

The district Board of Trustees is scheduled to interview the candidates at its meeting Wednesday and might make a decision then, said board President Kelly Candaele. A new chancellor is expected to begin July 1.

“We want an aggressive advocate for our students and institutions,” Candaele said.

A key challenge for the new chancellor will be to oversee the district’s biggest construction programs in 50 years, Candaele said. The district is using $2.2 billion in bond funds for renovations and for new buildings and parking lots.