After nearly 10 years at the helm, Dr. Piedad F. Robertson announced in November that she planned to step down as president of Santa Monica Community College.
Next month, she will begin her new job as president of a national education think thank based in Denver, Colo., called the Education Commission of the States.
Robertson is leaving behind her $205,000-a-year position during a time of unprecedented growth, and in the wake of controversy over cut academic programs and a faltering budget.
College officials have yet to select a permanent replacement, but have appointed her assistant, Tom Donner, as interim president.
Despite being tapped by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Secretary of Education Richard Riordan to weigh in on education issues at the state level, Robertson was largely unpopular among her own faculty and campus workers. She received a vote of no confidence from both groups last spring, after Robertson recommended to a supportive college board that academic programs be cut in order to meet the funding shortfall from the state.
SMC and City Hall have had a tumultuous relationship in the past, mostly because of the college’s continuous growth in Santa Monica and its perceived communication problems with city officials. Elected leaders hope a newly-elected college board and new SMC president will mend the strained relationship.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 1, 2005. Read the original PDF.