Newsmakers

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CEO retirement

Linda Lujan, president of Lamar Community College (LCC), has announced her plans to retire on December 31, capping a 40-year career in higher education. She has led the Colorado college since 2016.

Lujan has been recognized for her approach at LCC to promote student success and the student experience through facilities improvements, technology enhancements and more, managing more than $12 million in campus projects. They include a new student union, career and technical education building, library and tutoring center, and improvements to technology infrastructure and technology-enabled classrooms. Lujan also has been noted for her efforts to secure critical state and federal grant funding to boost programs, student support services, scholarships and more.

“The student experience at a small, residential community college is vitally important,” Lujan said in a release. “I am incredibly proud of the significant campus improvements we have made over the past several years. I know our hard work will enhance the learning and living environments for our students, as well as provide faculty and staff with more opportunity to increase student engagement and academic success for years to come.”

Lujan also continues to serve the community college field on a local and national level. She is helping the next generation of college leaders by teaching at the University of Colorado Denver’s Doctorate of Education in Leadership for Educational Equity and Higher Education program. Nationally, she is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Commission on Small and Rural Colleges as well as the AACC Global and Marketing Commissions.

Over her 40-year career in higher education, Lujan has held leadership roles at Maricopa Community College District in Arizona, where she was president and CEO of Chandler-Gilbert Community College and academic vice president of South Mountain Community College. Prior to that, she served for eight years with the Colorado Community College System (CCCS) as academic dean of the Centers for Business & Technology and Health Sciences at the Community College of Denver and director of educational technology at Arapahoe Community College.

Appointments

Mike Muñoz, superintendent-president of the Long Beach Community College District in California, will serve on the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) Intersegmental Implementation Committee as a representative from an educational equity and social justice organization. California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis appointed him to the committee, which will provide the state legislature with recommendations to overcome barriers in scaling ADT and streamlining transfer across segments for students.

“There is no better person in this state who can expertly strategize on increasing degree attainment and closing racial equity gaps,” said Uduak-Joe Ntuk, president of the college district’s board of trustees, of Muñoz’s appointment.

Joel L.A. Peterson has been named vice chancellor of facilities management for the San Diego Community College District in California, effective April 1. He is currently director of facilities and construction for the Glendale Community College District in California. Prior to that, Peterson was assistant vice president of capital projects and facilities at California’s Harvey Mudd College.

Megan Rolfs is now executive director of marketing at Heartland Community College in Illinois. She previously was executive director of marketing and communications in student affairs at Illinois State University. She also has served as tourism and conventions marketing manager for the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

About the Author

Matthew Dembicki
Matthew Dembicki edits Community College Daily and serves as associate vice president of communications for the American Association of Community Colleges.
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