Santa Monica College board of trustees member Patrick Nichelson announced at the Tuesday meeting of the board that he will resign from his post effective Sept. 30.
The eight-person board makes decisions on a range of campus issues. It is expected to vote Sept. 15 on the final budget for the 2003-2004 school year. With Nichelson’s departure, board members are left with two options, said Bruce Smith, a college spokesman. They can either work with one seat vacant until a special election is held in March of 2004 or they can appoint a board member to serve until November of 2004, when the next election is scheduled. Nichelson has been on the board since 1987 and has served as chair three times. A professor and chair of the religious studies department at California State University at Northridge, he teaches courses in world religions, religion and literature, and ethics. He is currently the director of the honors program at CSUN and recently served on the faculty council for CSU Channel Islands.
Nichelson is the former president of the California Faculty Association, the union that represents approximately 20,000 professors at all 23 campuses of the CSU system. He is a member of several organizations, including the American Association of University Professors and Santa Monicans for Renters Rights.
Nichelson, who could not be reached for comment Wednesday, received his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from St. John’s College, a master’s in religion at Immaculate Heart College in Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in social ethics from the University of Southern California.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 4, 2003. Read the original PDF.