Trust and Transparency

Meridith Randall has deftly stabilized Golden West College (GWC) and moved it toward its future.

When Randall’s presidency was made permanent in January, she had been serving as interim president for nine months. Assuming the position when the previous president resigned, she knew everyone was looking to her to bring stability to the community college. To do so, she focused on long-standing issues like program development and student support services, and by the time the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees approved her permanent position, progress was tangible.

Meridith RandallGWC Academic Senate President Damien Jordan, an associate professor of counseling, says Randall built trust among the faculty while serving as vice president of instruction, which readily translated when she became interim president. “People recognized pretty quickly that she had a skill level that we had been needing,” he says.

“Seventy percent or so of our students get financial aid, and they, with our help, can succeed and go on and get productive careers,” says Randall, who has worked in California community colleges for about 25 years. “In California, we have great workforce needs across the board, and that’s a huge role for community colleges.”

Randall enjoys leading a relatively small college that focuses on student success, and she embraces the vision to serve local communities. “I like to run a very transparent college where everyone is always informed — not just faculty, but also our classified professionals,” she says. “I send out messages every week. I ask my vice presidents to do the same. That’s kept everyone calm, focused and believing we are all moving in the same direction.”

Jordan says people are pleased with Randall’s candor and the transparency in communication. “The sometimes tedious, but necessary, explanation of a thought process,” he notes.