The SRJC Board of Trustees and Presidential Advisory Committee will review 43 applications of potential candidates in their search for SRJC’s sixth president. The search began after Dr. Robert Agrella’s announcement last year that he would step down as president.
The board hopes to select and approve the top candidate for this position in early December.
After several months of searching last spring, the hiring committee narrowed the presidential search to three candidates and then rejected all three.  The finalists were Kevin Trutna, Yuba College vice president of academic and student services, Peter Quigley, University of Hawaii associate vice president of academic affairs and Jeanine Hawk, vice chancellor of administrative services at San Jose Evergreen Community College District.
Faculty and students alike voiced concerns regarding the applicants’ experience and qualifications.  On April 12, the board announced it would wait to have a new president the following year. “I just don’t feel that there was a good fit for us at this time,” said SRJC board president Rick Call.
During the search, Agrella will stay on as president. “I am pleased to be able to do it.  I have spent over 21 years here and I wouldn’t want to leave without knowing the board of trustees has found a replacement,” Agrella said. “I’m also very grateful that the board believes that I still have something to offer the college as they search for the next president.”
During the last four months the board and the hiring committee have worked with Professional Personnel Leasing Inc. (PPL), an outside consulting firm, to bring in applicants. PPL has managed executive searches for approximately 30 years in various California Community Colleges. The company’s purpose is to assist in acquiring a pool of people who would be a better match for SRJC’s needs and the district’s expectations.
Candidate interviews with the board are scheduled for the second week in November. The committee members will conduct interviews and refer finalists to the board, said Karen Furukawa, vice president of human resources.