First in a series

West Los Angeles College’s sixth president in seven years figures to slow down the merry-go-round, bringing a very different resume from his predecessors.

Immediately, you sense he is distinct from the rest of the field.

The distinguished Dr. James Limbaugh is a soft-spoken Texan, one of the few times in American history that phrase has been suggested.

Not that he masks his Texas origins. Shortly (but not immediately) after arriving here from Oxnard College last October, he switched from standard college-president footwear to cowboy boots for the best of reasons:

They are more comfortable.

Surely he is the only college president in Southern California who dons them every morning.

Dr. Limbaugh requires relaxed footwear.

He spends giant chunks of the clock touring one of the beautiful campuses in the West, probing the wide variety of student minds and faculty members as he strides across the green hills, expanse and spectacular views that enchant him.

Six months into his first year, Dr. Limbaugh probably has more national and administrative college experience and insight  than his predecessors cumulatively.

A newcomer to urban life, Dr. Limbaugh has devoted his professional life to what he calls rural colleges.

He invested his first 28 years as an administrator to Frostburg State in Maryland. He also explored  college life in  Texas and Montana (where he said he was forced to leave after firing a popular but lawbreaking football coach) and the wide open spaces of Oxnard.

At a mature age and stage, Dr. Limbaugh is a newcomer to urban life, an intriguing journey as he gets acquainted with a diverse student body hungry for leadership and direction.

(To be continued)