On Tuesday, Sept. 17, Vice President of Academic Services Dr. Janice Noble was approved by the Board of Trustees to be the next interim president of Las Positas College.
Dr. Guy Lease, current interim president as LPC, will be leaving on Sept. 30. Her tenure as interim is set shortly thereafter from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, but if a new president is found before the end of the year, he or she will replace Noble as head of the college. In her absence, Vice President of Student Services Diana Rodriguez will take over her position.
“I think this is a wonderful opportunity to just carry the torch, if you will, just for a few months,” Noble said.
And Noble does indeed plan to carry the torch. Her main focus is on the stability of the college, which includes planning for accreditation processes to get ready for the self-study and site visit in October 2015. She is also in talks with the necessary organizations on campus to get the ball rolling for the library renovation in next summer, along with putting the finishing touches on building 1600.
“The fact that I’ve been with this institution for over five years now gives me some history so that I can carry on some of the things that I know we need to do,” Noble said.
Previous to her five years with LPC, she worked at Valley College in San Bernardino as a dean overseeing divisions such as social sciences and human development, and before that, she worked within the community college system in Southern California.
“She’s a very experienced leader,” Lease said. “She knows the college really well and I think has the experience and the skills to lead it in a very promising way.”
While Lease is leaving unfinished business at LPC due to his term ending at the end of the month, he believes that it is being left in the right hands.
“She has a wonderful sense of what we’re doing. She understands the challenges that we’re facing right now in terms of the things that we’re trying to accomplish and where we’re headed over the next few years,” Lease said. “I think she has a good vision for how we’re going to accomplish those things over the next three or four months.”
And while Lease is leaving the college and going back to his home South Lake Tahoe, Noble feels as if she can still refer to him if ever in need of advice.
“Dr. Lease has been a wonderful, wonderful leader,” Noble said. “I’ve got tough shoes to fill with his departure. We knew he was only going to be here a short time, and I personally as well as professionally have learned a lot from him, this time as well as the last time he was here. I will miss him dearly, and the nice thing is I feel very comfortable in calling him and saying ‘What would you do in my shoes?’”
While Noble is busy being interim president for the next couple months, Diana Rodriguez will be taking over as both Vice President of Academic Services and Student Services, the latter of which is her current job.
“She will be the responsible person for both of those roles. It’s an extra work load, quite honestly, for Ms. Rodriguez, but I think she’s up to the task,” Noble said.
The decision for the permanent school president will not be made until late October, at the earliest. Until then, LPC will be in noble hands.