West Valley College, one of two colleges in the West Valley-Mission Community College District, was founded by the voters of the Campbell, Los Gatos-Saratoga, and Santa Clara high school districts. The college offered its first classes in September 1964 at the remodeled Campbell Grammar School site. That same year, 143 acres in the beautiful city of Saratoga were purchased. In 1968, the college offered classes for the first time on the Saratoga site.

West Valley enrolls over 10,000 students and strives to reflect the ethnic and racial diversity of the Santa Clara County region. Students benefit from a full array of student support services that are well integrated with the instructional programs.

Our college has diverse educational and career programs that address the needs of a dynamic community and workforce. West Valley has one of the highest transfer rates to four-year colleges and universities in the state, with a strong core of general education courses, many taught by nationally-recognized faculty. The college provides well-recognized, high-quality, unique career and vocational programs. West Valley is also recognized for its popular distance learning course offerings. Basic Skills and personal enrichment programs are equally vital to our commitment to serving the community.

West Valley College is undergoing major construction and upgrades to our facilities infrastructure and campus environment aided by nearly $400 million in local and state bond funding to the District.

The College’s accreditation was reaffirmed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges in 2008. The Commission’s Visiting Team recognized West Valley College for:

- Building partnerships with the community in support of the college including the ongoing communications with the neighborhood, the support of the city, and the passage of Measure H.

- Identifying new goals to improve technology including information technology, general education requirements, and the implementation of goals to prepare students for a global economy.

- Establishing the team work and commitment of all employees to ensure the success of the college in meeting its missions, even in troubling times.

- Developing technology to better serve the instructional and support services of the college.

- Having a Board of Trustees that initiated the Land Corporation Foundation as a jewel of opportunity for the colleges to serve the one-time or capital construction needs of the District.

Presidential Profile

The minimum qualifications for the position include:

- Any combination equivalent to: Master’s degree in education, public administration or related field; and

- Five years of increasingly responsible management experience in managing major segments of an educational institution, including instructional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

- Educational preparation from an accredited institution; an earned doctorate.

- Previous professional experience, including senior administrative experience in a community college, other post-secondary educational institutions, and/or business and industry.

- Experience as a faculty member in a community college or other segment of higher education.

- A demonstrated history of innovative, visionary planning leading to achieved goals.

- High professional standards and a personal code of ethics characterized by honesty, integrity, openness, and fairness.

- A positive outlook with effective critical thinking, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and team-building skills.

- Experience in pursuing new revenue opportunities to support the college’s overall operation and future development of programs and services.

In addition, leading candidates for the position of
President of West Valley College will have:

• Excellent communication skills with an open-door, trust-building leadership style, a commitment to fairness and equity, and a willingness to learn from others as well as sharing his or her own experience and knowledge;
• Demonstrated successful experience with participatory governance;
• Demonstrated commitment to innovative teaching strategies and programs;
• Investment in student-centered learning in a climate that embraces diversity;
• Appreciation for the culture of the college and the contributions and talents of the faculty, staff, students, and the community;
• Knowledge and support of the increasing role of technology in higher education; and
• Personal qualities that include flexibility, enthusiasm, creativity, empathy, listening skills, friendliness, humor, and the ability to facilitate change when needed.

Required Documents

• No more than five pages
• Candidates should state how they will address the identified
  “Opportunities and Challenges” noted above
• How they meet the "Presidential Profile" as stated above

-A Current Resume

-Eight References

At least one from each group (References from either current or former institutions are acceptable)

• Supervisors
• Direct reports (including one support staff member)
• Colleagues
• Faculty members
• Student leaders

Please be sure to include names, titles, business and home phone numbers, and email addresses for each reference. Note: References will not be contacted without applicants’ permission.

Important Application Information

- Submission of complete electronic application documents to Human Resources is the applicant’s responsibility.

- Incomplete documents will not receive committee consideration.

- Application documents will not be sent to applicants nor received by Human Resources via fax.

- All materials in your file become District property, will not be returned, and will be considered for this vacancy only.

- Applicants who, due to a disability, require accommodations to complete the application, testing, or the interview, should contact Human Resources at
(408) 741-2171 to arrange assistance.

Application Process

Nominations and applications will continue to be accepted electronically until the position is filled. However, the Search Committee will begin reviewing applicants’ materials on Wednesday, March 20, 2013; therefore submissions are encouraged prior to that time.

For nominations and confidential inquiries contact: