The announcement of Dr. Argella’s retirement last week raises the question of who will take over as the next president of SRJC. In 92 years there have only been four presidents of the school.

The Board of Trustees and Brian Phifer, assistant director of student affairs,* have mentioned that SRJC will search nationally for the new president. This may open the door to the more qualified candidates. However, it takes away from the close-knit community that SRJC has built over time.

SRJC should look internally for the next president before interviewing perspective hires on a national scale. Last semester Agrella instituted a re-engineering program that has emphasized the filling of empty positions from inside the school.

With the policy already affecting the lives of staff across the JC, it is fortunate that we have a candidate in house who is not only qualified but also familiar with the day-to-day operations of the school.

Rudolph is a deserving candidate as the next president. She has worked at the JC for five years as vice president of academic affairs. In this role she has worked alongside Agrella and has proven herself as more than capable of transitioning to the role of president.

Like the candidates to be discovered in a national search, Rudolph’s professional and personal history traces a path through the country. From a small rural town in Illinois to her college education in San Francisco she has the experience and wisdom necassary to guide the college into the future. After recieving her doctorate and becoming a dean in Sacramento and spending time as a college vice president in Wisconsin, she established a history in academic leadership.

Among Rudolph’s greatest qualities as an administrator is her accessibility. Rudolph has, on many occasions, shown herself willing to work with students by actually talking to them on a face-to-face basis about the state of SRJC affairs. With these talks she has demonstrated her knowledge on the issues and inner workings of the college.

But if there’s one aspect of Rudolph’s time as vice president that should qualify her as a candidate to succeed Agrella, it’s the fact that she has been intensely involved with every aspect of running the college

Rudolph has shown and proven that she is dedicated to doing what’s best for SRJC, and that she cares about not just the faculty and staff, but also the students who come and study here. It’s that devotion to her job as administrator and her service to the SRJC that makes her the ideal president for SRJC.

Active and informed leadership is what the school needs, especially during these challenging times.

*Correction: Brian Phifer was originally referred to as director of student affairs.