Dr. Chui L. Tsang has announced his impending retirement from Santa Monica College.
Tsang notified staff of his decision Tuesday night by email. "I am writing to let you know that after much consideration, I have made the decision to retire as President and Superintendent of Santa Monica College at the end of this academic year," he said. "While I am sad to be leaving the work that I love, I make this decision confident in the knowledge that Santa Monica College today is in great condition."
Tsang said he leaves the school well prepared to face the future after enduring some tough times. "Over the last few years we weathered tremendous challenges, from the worst economic storm to beset the community college system since the passage of Prop 13, to the senseless and violent tragedy of June 2013 that shook our community to its core," he said. "We endured the terrible pain of these trials together and have emerged as a stronger and more united institution."
He praised the Board of Trustees and management staff saying the school is now on steady financial footing with an increasingly well-respected reputation, nationally and internationally. He said the school has expanded its physical facilities, grown its staff and will soon embark on a new course, providing four-year degrees as part of a state-wide pilot program.
"Santa Monica College today is the envy of the national community college system. We remain the number one community college for transfers in California, a title we have now held for 24 years," he said. "We have partnered with major universities to forge new pathways for our students to complete their Bachelors and Master Degrees. And of course, the recent approval of the new Bachelor Degree program in Interaction Design signals the beginning of an exciting, cost-effective, and accessible new approach that the College can continue to develop."
His letter did not elaborate on his plans for retirement but he said he was proud to have been a part of the school. "I feel extremely privileged to have led this exceptional institution over the past nine years, and I am grateful to have served with the dedicated group of educators and enthusiastic community supporters who I now call my friends," he said. "I retire comforted in the knowledge that the College will remain in the care of an unrivaled faculty and staff who stand poised to lift this college and its students to ever greater levels of success. In your hands, I know that Santa Monica College will endure as an institution dedicated to the mission of helping every one of our students turn their dreams into reality."
