Dive Brief:
- Pasadena City College’s embattled president, Mark Rocha, is resigning, effective Aug. 31, after enduring two no-confidence votes — with a third vote under consideration — from the school’s faculty.
- Rocha was paid nearly $250,000 per year as the president, a position he was named to in 2010 after four years at West Los Angeles College.
- Faculty members criticized him for failing to consult with them on major decisions, which was supposed to be the policy of the college.
Dive Insight:
The Los Angeles Times has previously reported that Pasadena’s reputation as one of California’s best two-year colleges was in jeopardy because of the rift between Rocha and the faculty, though observers said both sides were to blame.
Rocha says he’s going to spend more time with his family, which is an oft-cited reason for leaving when one’s resignation is forced. Plus, his successor hasn’t been named, even on an interim basis, and he apparently does not have another position lined up. But, he said he would return to his “passion for teaching and writing,” the Los Angeles Times reported. He was recently one of the top candidates to lead Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, but he didn’t get the job.