College of the Canyons Celebrates Dr. Van Hook's 25 Years For Excellence In Service

    SANTA CLARA, CA, July 03, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook arrived for her first day on the job on July 1, 1988. Aside from herself, some colleagues and the board members who hired her, no one could possibly have imagined how this new superintendent-president's passion, energy and influence would reshape College of the Canyons.

The clues were certainly there, notably an L.A. Times story whose headline proclaimed: 'Fireball' to Take Helm of College of the Canyons. That headline would prove accurate, although the "fireball" moniker could easily and, perhaps more accurately, be replaced by "mover," "shaker" or "builder." Certainly, she has also been been a "motivator" and "developer" of people, places, possibilities and potential.

When hired, the then-37-year-old dean of the Lake Tahoe Community College District was the youngest person ever to serve as a district-level community college CEO in California and, at the time, one of only five women of the 70 CEOs in the state. She hit the ground running and has never looked back. Twenty-five years later, College of the Canyons resembles its former self in name only, having been transformed into one of the leading, most innovative and widely respected community colleges in the nation.

Numbers help put such a radical transformation into context. The college's budget, for example, has grown from approximately $8 million in 1988 to nearly $181 million today. Enrollment has grown from 4,000 to a high of 27,000 students. And physical space has quadrupled, climbing from just under 200,000 square feet to today's 812,000 square feet across two campuses, with additional construction this year that will boost square footage even more.

While numbers can provide context, they can also obscure what this progress really means, which is this: Dr. Van Hook's leadership has driven a quarter century of cross-generational momentum at College of the Canyons. This commitment has provided all manner of cutting-edge educational and training opportunities for all who have sought to better themselves. It has embraced innovation and excellence in education. It has instilled hope, and turned dreamers into doers. Her efforts, passion and unrelenting resolve have transformed not only the college, but the lives and livelihoods of the hundreds of thousands of people who have embarked on an educational journey here.

One of the few people who had a sense for what this "fireball" could do was Michele Jenkins. A member of the Board of Trustees today and in 1988, Jenkins was the board president who led the development of the CEO search. Having overseen that process 25 years ago, she remembers vividly how one person stood out above all the rest.

"At the time, I couldn't help but smile to myself, thinking about how much of a difference she was going to make at the college because she's just so dynamic," Jenkins recalled. "Days later, after she had been formally introduced, I asked one of our instructors what he thought about our new president, to which he replied, 'Administrators come and go, and it won't really make a difference who the administrator is.' I simply smiled again and thought to myself that he has no idea what this woman's leadership will bring to College of the Canyons. Today, 25 years later, I'm still smiling."

Indeed, that instructor's observation was based on the average four-year tenure of the previous College of the Canyons presidents to that point, but he clearly made an assumption that would prove wildly inaccurate in very short order. When Dr. Van Hook arrived, she immediately went to work developing the college's first educational and facilities master plan. Five plans later, the college has been radically transformed, the result of a seemingly non-stop series of construction and improvement projects that continues to this day.

Dr. Brice Harris, chancellor of the California community college system, said Dr. Van Hook's focused, dedicated service to a single college district over the course of 25 years has allowed College of the Canyons to thrive - and the Santa Clarita Valley to reap the rewards.

"Such longevity is a rarity and speaks to the skilled leadership she provides to the college community day in and dayout," Dr. Harris said. "This type of stability fosters institutional focus and commitment on a remarkable scale."

College of the Canyons has been propelled forward by a unique combination of community support and daring leadership. Aided by the passage of two multimillion-dollar bond measures over the past dozen years, Dr. Van Hook has presided over the highest level of construction and preparation for the future since the college opened in temporary quarters at Hart High School in 1969. She has substantially transformed the Valencia campus - and provided the vision to create an entirely new campus in Canyon Country - to keep up with community demands, enhance access, and anticipate the educational needs of the future.

"Dr. Van Hook is, without a doubt, the most accomplished CEO in the California community college system," said Michael Berger, president of the College of the Canyons Board of Trustees. "Better yet, she's our CEO. Her ability to forge relationships and partnerships has been invaluable - and her leadership, imagination and perseverance have reaped incredible rewards for so many people, businesses and organizations in our community. She has inspired those around her to learn more, to do more and, most importantly, to dream more."

Former Trustee Linda Cubbage, who served on the Board of Trustees that hired Dr. Van Hook in 1988, echoed Berger's sentiments, adding, "Dianne's anniversary pays tribute to the board's action to hire her 25 years ago. We knew then that she had the ability, talent and vision to help College of the Canyons grow and thrive. How right we were!"

When Dr. Van Hook arrived in 1988, the college was housed in eight major structures. Today, more than a dozen additional major facilities have been built or expanded, including: the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center, the Santa Clarita Performing Arts Center at College of the Canyons, the Library and TLC (The Learning Center), Mentry Hall, the Family Studies and Early Childhood Education Center, Alis.

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