The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

The news site of Santa Barbara City College.

The Channels

Andreea Serban chosen as SBCC president

The Board of Trustees announced today Dr. Andreea Serban as its selection for the position of Santa Barbara City College president.

Serban is the college ‘s first female president since the college was founded in 1909, Her term begins June 2 to overlap Superintendent-President John Romo’s last month as president before he retires in July.

Serban beat out SBCC’s Dr. Jack Friedlander, executive vice president of Educational Programs and Blaine Nisson, who is the president at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon.

“I’m absolutely thrilled and honored, and it’s a great privilege to be able to serve the college and the community again,” Serban said to the Channels.

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Dr. Serban is currently the vice chancellor of Technology and Learning Services at South Orange County Community College District in Mission Viejo.

Before working in South Orange, she was the SBCC associate vice president for Information Technology, Research from 1999-2006.

During a March 9 interview with the Channels, Serban said that she would be committed to the college for the next 20 years.

Serban will earn about $215,000 in annual salary, said Sue Ehrlich, vice president of Human Resources & Legal Affairs.

Romo earns about $217,000 per year. The job description indicates that salary is negotiable during the drafting of the contract.

The college formed a search committee comprised of campus leaders and community members in the summer. The real search for the next president began in November when applications to apply for the job became available.

The committee began to interview candidates in February, and made a selection of two finalists–Carlos Campos from Southern Nevada Community College in Las Vegas and Jack Bermingham of Highline Community College in Des Moines, Washington. Campos dropped out of the race five days after the college announced the names. The college then opened up the race to three more candidates: Serban, Nisson and Friedlander.

Bermingham was eliminated two days after a public forum with the candidates. The committee followed up the three remaining candidates two by visiting their campuses and interviewing colleagues on March 22.

-Stephen Defilippo and Alexandra Wilcox contributed to this report

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