By Khalida Sarwari
West Valley College Interim President Brad Davis will soon be able to drop the modifier from his title.
Pending approval by the West Valley-Mission Community College board of trustees, Davis will serve as the college’s next president. The board will make its decision May 21.
Davis said he was excited and honored to be chosen for the role.
“I’m humbled that the college would have as much faith as it does in my ability to lead it to the next level through a very different transition in terms of managing our budget and our enrollment and all the other challenges that we face,” he said.
Davis said his immediate future goals are to stabilize the college’s enrollment and to utilize the facilities that have been developed as a result of the Measure C bond campaign.
One major challenge he expects to face soon is the budget process, which has been impacted by a decline in state funding and falling enrollment. The college is grappling with a $1.5 million deficit, Davis said, which might necessitate the consolidation of certain departments and programs between the two campuses and streamlining the administrative structure, as well as identifying efficiencies that can be garnered from technology and other services.
West Valley is preparing for two major events next year. The first is a site visit by an accreditation committee in March 2014 and the second is the Student Success Act, a new state law that will bring about stricter rules on fee waivers, new registration priorities, and different funding criteria to community colleges.
“I have a deep affection for the college and a strong belief that we can be No. 1 in the Bay Area,” said Davis. “I have the energy and passion and will work hard to make that a reality.”
Davis was selected from among three finalists following a nationwide search. The other finalists were Kevin Walthers, president of Las Positas College in Livermore, and Barry Russell, vice chancellor of academic affairs for the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office.
Davis came to the two-college district in 2009 as an associate vice chancellor and has served as interim president since June 2012. During his tenure, he said he made it a priority to be accessible and approachable to students and would continue this approach going forward. Davis said he makes it a point to wander in the student cafeteria and chat with students or invite them to lunch. He has also participated in a few extracurriculars, such as a student dodgeball contest and battle of the bands, and performed in student plays.
“I’m very open to folks sharing their ideas with me,” said Davis. “I’m committed to being a part of the community.”
Before beginning at WVMCCD, Davis served for 10 years in a variety of leadership positions at San Jose State University. He taught as an adjunct faculty member at Santa Clara University, teaching human resources administration in the Higher Education Administration Graduate Program. He also served as an adjunct faculty member at both San Jose State and Vanderbilt University.
Davis received a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Gannon University and a Juris Doctorate from Syracuse University’s College of Law.
