Southwestern College hired 19 interim administrators this year and only one as a full-time employee. College president Dr. Kindred Murillo said that is by design.
San Ysidro HEC Supervisor Andre Harris is a fan.
Murillo said SC’s Professional Development Opportunity Program (PDOP) is an attempt to promote from within. Harris said the PDOP is “an invaluable tool” that prepared him for his new position.
PIO Lillian Leopold said the program gives people inside the college hope of moving up the ladder.
“A lot of times we’ll recruit people from the outside because they have the experience in another college, but that prevented our people from moving up,” she said.
Leopold said college employees can often train for jobs they want.
PDOP expanded after the recent Early Retirement Incentive hit SC hard, she said. More than 40 senior staff and faculty members retired on June 30, 2019, opening spots for interims.
Murillo said the program was created in September 2017 to provide “college professionals the opportunity to gain some management experience, receive feedback on resumes and interviews.”
Murillo said that three to five candidates are interviewed. Harris said the interview processes were identical to a full-time position.
“The only difference was for the interim role, I needed to submit my resume and a cover letter,” he said. “Naturally, there was an interview committee who ultimately sent my name to a second-level committee, but honestly, outside of the interim role of applying, the rest was a standard interview process.”
Murillo said that even though the college prefers to have qualified and competent replacements for important vacant positions, such as the Title IX coordinator, it is often more arduous to permanently fill these positions than to find a temporary replacement.
Administrators association president Fernando Poveda said that SCCDAA has concerns with PDOP. Although the program was established as a pipeline for people to get administrator experience, he said, inconsistencies are troubling.
“SCCDAA has a concern about the unilateral lowering of minimum qualifications that had been done by administrators,” he said. “It puts into question whether or not these people are the most qualified for the job.”
SC has a history of high administrative turnover. College accreditors consider many interims as California Community College a sign of instability. In 2002-04 the Chancellor’s Office condemned SC’s hiring practices and took control of hiring due to excessive interims, said Poveda.
SC risks similar sanctions today, he said.
“There aren’t any whistleblowers that have said anything,” he said.
Poveda said PDOP has not offered consistent levels of mentorship. Some interims, he said, are not getting mentorship or assistance.
Poveda warned that inexperience leads to a domino effect of dysfunction. When one unprepared person fills a vacancy, the college often inserts another inexperienced person in their place, he said.
Interim Bookstore manager, Bill Denton is an example of the abusive temporary positions, Poveda said. Denton has been in the position for four years without any opportunity for promotion. “The interim title is not fair for people like Denton to continue in such role without any sign of progression,” he said.
Administrative positions should be filled by open recruitment process within 90 days of an opening, Poveda said. San Diego Community College District has a program similar to PDOP whereby an employee is able to train in an interim role, but are not eligible to apply for that position.
