Fresh Faces on the Board

By Ellen Silk & Doug Ahlgren
News Editor & Staff Writer

The 2008 board of trustees unanimously approved Dr. Don Griffin’s contract at a Dec. 19, 2008 meeting and confirmed him as chancellor through June 2012, at an initial salary of $287,000 per year according to his employment contract. Griffin has 38 years of service at City College, both as an instructor and administrator. He has been the interim chancellor at City College since March 2008.

“My many years of experience in positions of ever-increasing responsibility at City College of San Francisco have prepared me for this new post,” Griffin said. “I look forward to working with the board of trustees as well as the faculty and staff to continue the college’s legacy of excellence and service to our students and communities.”

Board of Trustee

New City College board of trustees members Steve Ngo and Chris Jackson, along with returning members Dr. Natalie Berg and Milton Marks III, were sworn-in during a ceremony at the Wellness Center on Jan. 5.

All four trustees won their four-year seats after a seven-month election process ending in November 2008. Incumbents Marks and Berg along with former members Rodel Rodis and former City College Police Chief Carl Kohler ran in the nine person, four seat election for the seven member board.  Nearly 200 people watched as Senator Mark Leno swore-in Berg and Ngo. San Francisco Supervisor David Campos and Superior Court Judge Teri Jackson officiated the oaths for Marks and Jackson respectively.

“The Trustees recognize the difficult challenging budgetary times we are experiencing,” said Board President Lawrence Wong.
The Budget Crisis was a major topic of the ceremony. “I am very privileged to serve City College students and the community. I am confident that we will get through this,” Ngo said. She feels, the crisis has to be a number one priority for the college board.

This is Ngo and Jackon’s first time to serve the City College Board of Trustees. However both have experience in other forms of civic government. Ngo has served on other boards including the South East Asian Community Center, CollegeWorks and as a student representative at Hastings College. He is currently an attorney at San Francisco legal firm Minami Tamaki. In his senior year at San Francisco State University, Jackson served as Associated Student President and created Project Connect, which helps K-12 students connect with college . He currently works as a policy analyst for the San Francisco Labor Council.

“This is a great opportunity to bring an under served voice to the halls of government through the board,” said Jackson. During his time on the board he hopes to protect basic skills-and-outreach programs, as well as bring more “green jobs” training and sustainability education to the college.