Will retiring Fresno community college chancellor remain in role? Board won’t say
Carole Goldsmith, chancellor for the State Center Community College District, announced she will retire next September, though board trustees won’t say whether she will remain in the role as rank-and-file faculty call for her immediate departure.
The community college district’s board of trustees called a special meeting on Tuesday to discuss Goldsmith’s goals through her planned retirement, drawing a crowd of supporters and critics.
Goldsmith’s supporters asked the board to let her leave on her own terms in September, citing her support for diversity efforts and her role in bringing an education center to southwest Fresno. Some said Goldsmith’s immediate departure would hinder the search for her replacement.
However, several faculty members — who unanimously approved a vote of no confidence toward Goldsmith the same day she announced her retirement — told the board it should part ways with the chancellor immediately.
Hundreds of union members with the State Center Federation of Teachers issued the no-confidence vote last month, citing a culture of retaliation, silencing voices and nepotism under Goldsmith. Union leaders cited an ethics complaint alleging nepotism filed over a $161,000 consultant Goldsmith frequently referred to as her “goddaughter.”
Goldsmith has said the union’s no-confidence vote did not play a role in her retirement announcement.
“The issue at hand is not whether chancellor Goldsmith is a good advocator or a nice person. What faculty have been saying to you, the board, for over a year now is that we have a breakdown of participatory governance and an incredible fear of retaliation. I would never expect business owners and community members to understand the nuances of participatory governance issues,” Madera Community Colleges math instructor Hillary Biehler told the board Tuesday.
Following public comment, the board went into closed session for about 90 minutes. Board members eventually exited, without Goldsmith, and they had no actions to report.
Keith Ford, president of the State Center Federation of Teachers, called the result “disappointing,” and said that the union plans to continue to speak out.
Goldsmith has served as the chancellor for SCCCD, comprised of Fresno City College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College and Reedley College, since 2022.
