Three finalists named for State Center chancellor post

Three people have been named finalists to become chancellor of State Center Community College District and will participate next week in forums throughout the district.

The three are Ronald Taylor, Dale Paul Parnell Jr. and Henry Chiong Vui Yong, and all three have experience running community colleges in California.

The district, which has campuses or education centers in Fresno, Clovis, Madera, Oakhurst and Reedley, is seeking a permanent chancellor to take over for interim Chancellor Bill Stewart. He has been filling the role since last year, when Chancellor Deborah Blue retired after the board voted to shorten her contract.

The district released some background on each candidate:

▪ Taylor is superintendent/president of Merced College, a post he has held for the past three years. Previously, he was the superintendent/president for four years at Feather River College in Plumas County, northeast of Sacramento. Before that, he held administrative posts at Chabot College in Hayward and at Reedley College. Taylor, who holds a doctorate, earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from UC Berkeley.

Taylor was chair of the evaluation committee that assessed whether State Center’s then-Willow International center should be fully accredited as a community college. (It is now Clovis Community College.)

▪ Parnell has been president of Norco College in Riverside County for the past three years. Previously he held administrative positions at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga and Whatcom College in Washington State. He earned his doctorate from Oregon State University, his master’s degree from Ball State University in Indiana and his bachelor’s degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

▪ Yong has been president of Evergreen Valley College in San Jose for four years. Previously he has held administrative posts at Taft College, Victor Valley College in San Bernardino County and West Hills College, Coalinga. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from Loma Linda University and is working on his doctorate from La Sierra University in Riverside.

Forums for the candidates are being set up across the district on Nov. 12:

▪ Madera Community College Center, AM 120, Administration Building: 8 a.m., Taylor; 9:10 a.m., Parnell; 10:20 a.m. Yong.

▪ Fresno City College, Old Administration Building, Room 251: 10 a.m., Taylor; 11:10 a.m., Parnell; 12:20 p.m., Yong.

▪ Clovis Community College, Academic Center 1, Room 150: 12:15 p.m., Taylor; 1:25 p.m., Parnell; 2:35 p.m., Yong.

▪ Reedley College, Forum Hall 1: 2:30 p.m., Taylor; 3:40 p.m., Parnell; 4:50 p.m., Yong.

This story was originally published November 6, 2015 at 10:29 AM with the headline "Three finalists named for State Center chancellor post."