Interim president comes in with vision for Southwestern College

Robert Deegan has risen to the very top of his profession, but still remembers the little boy whose family was on public assistance during a prolonged “rough patch.” He also remembers the young man who found his way in a community college.

Deegan was named interim president of Southwestern College last month following the June 30 resignation of Dr. Melinda Nish.

Deegan, the president of Palomar College for 10 years, came out of retirement at the request of the SWC Governing Board following his recommendation by a faculty member. He is scheduled to serve for six months.

“I’m enjoying my time very, very much,” he said. “I’ve been to all the centers. I’ve met with all the schools, trying to get around to a lot of the services.”

Deegan said he is working on a number of critical issues, the first and foremost of which is accreditation. SWC was placed on warning this spring with 15 sanctions, including some that remained unsolved from 2011.

“I’m very impressed with the work that’s been done to date,” he said. “But there’s still a lot to do, so it’s working with our faculty, staff and administration to get that report ready.”

SWC was placed on warning status by the Accreditation Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJS) last spring and must submit a follow-up report in March 2017 to stay off probation. SWC was placed on probation in 2010 during the presidency of Raj K. Chopra and narrowly averted shutdown when the Chopra administration and a previous governing board failed to make the necessary progress on a list of sanctions. This time, the college was given 15 recommendations to ensure its accreditation is fully reaffirmed. Deegan said all 15 sanctions from ACCJC are being addressed.

“Many have been completed,” he said. “A number are still in progress… We’re planning to bring a final draft of the report to the (governing) board in January and then have it ready to submit in March.”

One sanction related to sloppy, late and missing staff and faculty evaluations. ACCJC discovered that many employees have gone years without an evaluation.

“Evaluation was one that was pointed out as of concern, so that’s one that I wanted to make sure that we addressed soon,” said Deegan. “I think there was a number of them that were late. And I think part of the problem was people weren’t aware that these were supposed to be done or that they hadn’t been done. I don’t think it’s a major problem and I think the majority of evaluations are complete and up to date, but the ones that aren’t we have to make sure that they are.”

Deegan said there is a “plan in place to get those all done” and the college will try new software to help with future evaluations.

“I’m very optimistic that we will have a report ready and that when the (accreditation) team returns that our accreditation will be fully affirmed,” he said.

During Deegan’s time at SWC the college will seek a $400 million construction bond measure. Deegan said he is optimistic that the community will support the bond and looks forward to the new buildings, including a new veteran center.

Increasing in enrollment is also on the college’s to-do list. An enrollment management specialist, Deegan said he is trying to increase enrollment to ensure the college’s apportionment cap and receive full funding from the state. He said he is also trying to increase the number of student transfers and degree recipients. The Sun reported last spring that Southwestern College first-time students take an average of six years to graduate or reach transfer levels.

“When you look at the success of the college, it’s not the number of students who are enrolled but the number of students who succeed,” Deegan said. “It’s very important to me that when we’re bringing students in and I want to try increase efforts to do that, that’s just the start. What we’ve got to do is ensure their success. And that’s with appropriate curriculum for students so they can get the classes they need to transfer or receive a certificate.”

Deegan said he also wants the campus to be more inclusive and “work a lot on our campus climate,” which ACCJC has in the past described as “toxic.” He said students were already doing an outstanding job modeling inclusion and used the Associated Student Organization (ASO) as an example for its recent spoken word even focusing on the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I was very impressed to see that our ASO is taking the lead with that and working with the rest of our students to ensure an awareness of things that are happening in the country,” he said. “What I want to do is work with our faculty and staff to create something similar so that everybody in this college feels welcomed and wanted.”

Vice President of Financial Affairs Tim Flood served as acting president following Nish’s resignation in June. He said Deegan is a “very good guy” with a “tremendous amount of experience.”

“I was part of the committee that interviewed him,” said Flood. “I cannot tell you how fortunate we are to have him lead us during the next six months.”

Deegan retired after 10 years as president of Palomar College and has more than 30 years of experience working in community colleges.

SWC Governing Board member Humberto Peraza called Deegan a “breath of fresh air.”

“The college needs somebody like Bob Deegan,” he said.

Although Deegan said he plans to be here for “a short time just during a time of transition until the permanent president was hired,” he also said he is excited to be at SWC.

“What I’m finding is Southwestern is a large comprehensive community college and there’s a lot of focus on the success of students,” he said. “That’s something where I can fit right in and keeping with my own philosophy.”