Dear West LA College Colleagues,
I write to share with you that I have accepted an offer to serve as president of Grossmont College in San Diego County. Grossmont is an 18,000-student suburban college serving the diverse communities of the two-college Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. I plan to complete my service at West by the end of June although I hope to celebrate Independence Day with the college before I make my exit.
My four years at West have been marked by tremendous collegiality; I have boasted that West has treated me better than any president can hope. We have struggled together to surmount many challenges and have focused our efforts through plans and programs that will support our students’ progress toward their goals well into the future. I have faith that the student-focused spirit at West that I have found so welcoming will carry on. My work here has been about building with you systems that empower administrators, faculty, staff, and students to have meaningful dialogue that leads to focused action. I have also had the good fortune to find communities and community leaders ready to engage with and support the college; I trust this attachment to West L.A.’s college will continue.
In the next few weeks I plan to complete some immediate tasks as I begin to make my farewells. I hope to finish selecting most of next year’s 15 new full-time faculty and to finalize the academic division reorganization. I also hope there will be sufficient clarity in the coming year’s budget to initiate some staffing decisions using our program plans. I have no illusions that there is a clear cutoff for the president’s duties, but I am also clear that West is stable and will transition with the next leadership team into a bright future.
This development is very recent. I will consult with Chancellor Rodriguez about the process and timeline for selecting interim and permanent leadership at West and share with you as I can. West is an exciting, innovative institution that will attract excellent candidates.
Thank you, my friends, for granting me the privilege of being a Westie with you.
Nabil
See Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District news:
http://www.grossmont.edu/news/2015/05/05-20-nabil-abu-ghazaleh-new-gc-president.aspx
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/may/20/grossmont-hires-new-president/