Big changes coming for Fresno-area community colleges as chancellor announces retirement

Paul Parnell, chancellor for the State Center Community College District, announced his retirement Tuesday, saying he intends to leave his post in July 2021.

Parnell has led Fresno City College and Clovis, Madera, and Reedley community colleges since 2016, when he took over for then-interim Chancellor Bill Stewart.

In a letter, Parnell wrote that it was his privilege to serve and “see such tremendous success for all our 68,000 students.”

“We have exceeded the lofty goals we set for our students, District and Communities during my tenure,” he said. “So it is with the knowledge that I am leaving the District in a better place than it was when I started and after more than 34 years in education, I have decided it is time to retire.”

Parnell chose not to ask the State Center board of trustees for a contract renewal in September, although his current contract runs until 2023, district officials have said.

He has faced criticism during his tenure, including a recent clash with college presidents over contract language that they alleged would strip them of their rights.

Parnell was also the face of the controversial decision in early 2020 to end Fresno City College’s free bus pass program. College leaders scrambled to find funding to keep the program going, and trustees said they were blindsided by the decision to end it, although Parnell has disputed that he was behind its cancellation.

Although 2020 has presented difficulties with distance learning during the coronavirus pandemic, Fresno City has broken ground on big projects, and Madera became home to the state’s 116th community college over the summer. The West Fresno Campus is set to open in spring 2023.

In his retirement letter, Parnell said he felt blessed to serve during a “golden era.”

The year Parnell was hired, the $485 million Measure C bond was passed with nearly 65% voter approval, spurring construction at almost all of the campuses in the past few years.

During the district’s board meeting on Tuesday evening, Parnell received congratulations on his announcement. He thanked faculty and staff for their part in the district’s success.

“I really do hope that you take notice of the anti-racist commitment that our cabinet has made, our board has made, our faculty have made, and our staff have made to our students,” he said. “We want to be a district that is totally engaged in doing everything we can do in our community to help our most disadvantaged.”

Parnell plans to help search for the new or interim chancellor before his last day on July 6, 2021.

The chancellor also laid out future plans in the letter.

“I look forward to sharing with current and future leaders some of my insights and lessons learned, after I spend some quality time with my family and friends.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2020 at 5:00 PM.