Photo Courtesy of SWC
By Alexa Lima
Southwestern’s “academic leader of the future” is already in the college’s past after just eight months on the job.
Sam Agdasi was replaced as vice president of academic affairs by college president Dr. Mark Sanchez with the consent of the governing board. No cause was given for his dismissal. Agdasi will be paid his full salary and benefits exceeding $250,000 through the end of July.
Silvia Cornejo Tibett is acting VPAA through July 14. Her contract provides for a monthly salary of nearly $20,809.67, her 10.5% longevity bonus of $2,185.02, 2.16 paid vacation days and full health and welfare benefits.
“The coming together of the community is why I do the hokey pokey,” she said. “While I love my (San Ysidro) center dean job … I want to thank the board for the confidence (by) approving the acting role for me. I will do my very best to serve this district well.”
Agdasi received an enthusiastic welcome from Sanchez when he was hired in July 2024 from a community college in Illinois.
“(He brings) a wealth of knowledge, passion and dedication to our academic community,” wrote Sanchez at the time.
Agdasi had trouble connecting with faculty, many of whom described him as a “nice guy,” but “aloof” and “low energy.” In December Agdasi was severely criticized by faculty and students for a bungled roll out of the 2025 calendar year class schedule and a disastrous town hall meeting where he, Sanchez and Interim Vice President of Fiscal Services Omar Gutierrez failed to explain the reasoning for cancelling winter intersession and summer school.
Agdasi was also criticized for poor communication and blaming faculty leaders for the breakdown. The Spring 2025 schedule was pared back after its budget was apparently spent in an effort to increase enrollment in Fall 2024. Some winter and summer classes were returned to the calendar, but at the cost of class cuts in 2025-26.
Faculty leaders said Agdasi bore responsibility for the situation, but some said he was scapegoated by Sanchez and Gutierrez, who have a longstanding personal relationship preceding their employment at Southwestern College. Many faculty are on the record saying that Sanchez reallocated funds for 2025 to inflate enrollment in the fall of 2024 prior to an $800,000 million bond election. Sanchez denied that.
Agdasi’s termination continued a cycle of dizzying turnover of vice presidents at Southwestern College. Since 2020 the college has had four VPs of Academic Affairs, and three interim VPs of Business and Financial Affairs. Gutierrez is the most recent interim
Asked directly about the turnover among VPs and senior administrators, Sanchez responded by cancelling a meeting with a reporter from The Sun. His executive assistant wrote: “Dr. Sanchez is not available for an interview to discuss personnel/leadership on campus.” When the reporter asked via email who on campus would be the best person to discuss campus leadership there was no response from Sanchez or his staff.
Other senior leaders also refused to discuss Agdasi or the high rate of campus leadership turnover.
The average term of service for a community college president is about six years, according to the Journal of Research on the College President. Vice presidents typically last 4.6 years, many of which leave for a promotion to the presidency either at their college or another. Though college administrators are staying at their posts for shorter duration today than 20 years ago, Southwestern is far outside the statistical norm. SWC has had a series of VPs that failed to stick for even a year. The only president to last six years was the first, Chester de Vore, who retired of his own volition more than 40 years ago. Since 2006 Southwestern’s rate of administrative turnover is among the highest in the nation, according the JRCP data.
Some governing board members insist they are aware of the high turnover and acknowledge it is a problem. Some said it is a complication at Southwestern that sometimes leads the board to stick with senior administrators who are not performing well because they are reluctant to feed the turnover and perception of instability.
“Southwestern has been stuck in a turnstile for many years now,” said a San Diego County university leadership scholar who asked that their name not be used so as not to alienate Southwestern College administrators. “It is a tough situation that kind of feeds into itself. We all watch what’s going on there and it is unfortunate. Vice presidents are really imperative for a highly-functional organization. The VPAA is responsible for teaching and learning. There is nothing more important. It requires a scholarly person who understands faculty and students and keeps up with academic research. It is more than management. They need to be able to make thoughtful decisions about curriculum and where to allot precious resources. That person needs to be a hands-on educator and needs to have the courage to lead change.”
A trustee who asked that their name not be used said they hoped Southwestern will have a new VPAA in time for the start of the 2025-26 academic year, but was “not entirely sure that would happen.”
