At 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 14 at the Garvin Theatre, members of the community joined together to listen to Erika Endrijonas’ public forum. The race for the City College position of superintendent-president began on March 6 and has led to an opportunity for the three candidates to answer questions asked by potential colleagues and members of the public. 

According to Deneatrice Lewis, manager of human resources and the moderator for the three forums, each candidate was given the same 12 questions with 15 minutes to answer. 

Endrijonas used her past experiences in the field as a guiding point in her responses. She has a multitude of experiences serving as the president at various other City Colleges including Pasadena City College and Los Angeles Valley College. She has also worked as a professor and dean at City College between 1998 and 2009. 

Questions surrounding her past experiences and how the role of superintendent-president would fit into her life were presented to the candidate.  

“I feel like the stars have aligned and finally I am ready to come to the place that showed me what my journey could look like,” former City College dean said. 

She explained, as she transferred from college to college as a faculty member, how she always looked for an opportunity to return to City College. 

“I’ve seen what this school looks like running at full force, and it’s like a fire engine,” Endrijonas said as she reflected on her time as a dean and the passion she plans to bring to this position.

Many of the questions that were asked had to do with issues of equity and diversity, and how the candidates would go about resolving them.

“What is your vision for meeting the needs of the diverse learners served by City College and how do you determine whether there are sufficient staff and student support resources in place to meet these needs?” Lewis asked.

The candidate explained that the first part of her vision entailed focusing on what each diverse learner needs, and recognizing that not all diverse learners are in need of the same thing. 

“I think it’s important for us to understand what is our homeless student population,” Endrijonas said. “What is our food insecure population, what are the tutoring needs and whatever those needs are we need to determine that and we need to figure out what those programs might be.”

She also conveyed messages of age inclusivity and the need for more awareness of the wide age range at City College. 

“What we want to do is to help the community understand that we’re not just about that 18-22, that we’ve got this whole group of other people to serve,” Endrijonas answered in response to a question about student enrollment. 

When it came to questions of problem solving and decision making in a timely manner, Endrijonas explained that she would tackle one task at a time. She expressed that she would never make a rash decision without consulting colleagues about it first and used the phrase “kill one fire at a time” to explain her methods of resolutions.

Endrijonas harbored support from various audience members and small cheers could be heard throughout the forum. Past colleagues and former faculty members amplified Endrijonas message of the importance of inclusivity. 

“She was not only supportive of students with disabilities but she really understood the need for accommodations. She was extremely supportive of the individual needs of students, issues of access, and diversity,” Janet Shapiro, the former director of the disabled student programs and services and past colleague of Endrijonas said.

The candidate wrapped up her speech discussing her experienced approach to the issues of inclusion and equity at City College. 

“I have to say I can’t imagine a single person who would be more dedicated and who’s demonstrated more staying-power than me,” Endrijonas said.

“Anytime you deal with diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and anti-racism work, it’s tough work. It requires a president who can come and say I’m ready to roll up my sleeves, I am far from perfect, I am going to make mistakes but we’re going to do this together in community,” the candidate for superintendent said.

Correction: March 17, 2023

An earlier version of this story referred to Endrijonas as a City College alumni but she was a former dean at City College.