Raúl Rodríguez

Interim Chancellor, San Jose – Evergreen Community College District

 

Higher Education Columnist

Raúl Rodríguez, Ph.D. has served as a community college president or chancellor for more than 26 years. Currently, Dr. Rodríguez is Interim Chancellor of San Jose – Evergreen Community College District in San Jose, California. Prior to that, he served as Interim Superintendent/President at Hartnell College and Interim President at East Los Angeles College. From 2010 to 2019, Dr. Rodríguez served as the Chancellor of the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD). As Chancellor of one of the largest community college districts in the state of California, Dr. Rodríguez oversaw a district that covers one quarter of the land area of Orange County, registers an annual enrollment of more than 60,000 students and is one of the largest employers in the region with more than 4,000 employees.

Prior to joining RSCCD, Dr. Rodríguez held a number of positions in both single-college and multi-college community college districts in California. Dr. Rodríguez also previously served for seven years on the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges and he served a two-year term as chair.

Dr. Rodríguez earned a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He also holds a Master’s Degree in School and Applied Psychology from Fairfield University and a B.A. in Liberal Studies from Bowling Green State University in Ohio. An educator who taught psychology at Cabrillo College and the University of California, Santa Cruz, he is also a graduate of the Harvard Institute for Educational Management.

Community and professional service has always been a high priority for Dr. Rodríguez. He is currently on the board of the National Community College Hispanic Council and on the Board of Stewards of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona. Dr. Rodríguez previously served for eight years as a board member of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, for three years on the Orange County Taxpayers Association, and for three years on the International Consortium for Educational and Economic Development (ICEED). In 2012 he was elected to the board of the Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges and appointed to the Executive Board of the CSU Fullerton Doctor of Educational Leadership Program. In addition, Dr. Rodríguez has been a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens and served as a board member on multiple nonprofit organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club, Goodwill, the Junior Achievement and the United Way.

Rodríguez: Community college nursing programs need to be expanded

I recently had the honor and pleasure of attending the pinning ceremony for this year’s graduating class of nursing students from Evergreen Valley College. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the pinning ceremony dates back to the 1860s when Florence Nightingale was awarded for her service during the Crimean War. The ceremony...

Rodríguez: California needs to meet the demand for skilled workers

Our state is facing a shortage of more than 1 million workers with bachelor’s degrees by 2030, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. Failure to meet this need for skilled workers could have dire consequences for the state’s economy, so it’s imperative that all of California’s higher education sectors work together to ensure...

Rodríguez: Partnerships build better opportunities for our community

I recently had the distinct honor and pleasure of participating in Joint Venture Silicon Valley‘s State of the Valley Conference, which brings together leaders from across multiple sectors to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing Silicon Valley. My participation included a panel discussion led by Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg, during which I and...