Who will be next president of Modesto Junior College? Three finalists are revealed.
A search committee has chosen three finalists who are applying to be the next president of Modesto Junior College.
The trio will participate in forums set for April 29 that are open to the public via Zoom.
MJC’s interim president, Santanu Bandyopadhyay, is a finalist for the post, which became vacant when former president Jim Houpis resigned in January.
The other top candidates are Jonathan King, vice president of student services at Lake Tahoe Community College, and Lena Tran, vice president of strategic partnerships and workforce innovation at San Jose City College.
The search committee led by Columbia College’s interim president, G.H. Javaheripour, conducted interviews and recommended the top three to Chancellor Henry Yong and the Yosemite Community College District board of trustees. A total of 22 applicants were considered and seven were selected for interviews, though one dropped out, the chancellor’s office said.
The three finalists were among six people considered during the interview process.
The finalists will discuss their education and leadership philosophy at the April 29 forum, starting with Bandyopadhyay at 9 a.m. and then King at 9:45 a.m. and Tran at 10:30 a.m. The candidates will also answer questions from forum attendees.
Bandyopadhyay has served as president of Columbia College near Sonora and was executive vice president of educational programs and student services at Cypress College in Southern California. He served as director of institutional research at Zane State College in Ohio and was a budget analyst at Ohio University.
He holds a Ph.D in higher education and a master’s degree in business administration from Ohio University.
Bandyopadhyay also is listed as one of four finalists vying to become superintendent of El Camino Community College District in Southern California.
King has previous experience as dean of counseling and student support at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, chief student affairs officer at Concorde College in San Diego and interim campus president at Colorado Mountain College. He also held positions at Evergreen Valley College in San Jose and Northwest Vista College.
King earned a doctorate in education leadership from University of Texas and a master’s in educational administration from Harvard University.
Tran also has prior experience at Evergreen Valley College in the Bay Area, serving as dean of business and workforce development. She was director of three departments at the University of California Silicon Valley Extension, including business and management, education, and applied and natural sciences.
In addition, Tran served as employment development coach at the San Jose One-stop Institution for Business Performance. She holds a doctorate degree of education and leadership development from the University of San Francisco and a master’s in business administration from Seton Hall University.
Bandyopadhyay, who took over as Columbia College president in July 2018, was named acting president of MJC in early January after Houpis went on medical leave. The YCCD board accepted Houpis’ resignation Jan. 13.
The public may listen to the finalists for MJC president by attending the Zoom forums at 9 a.m., 9:45 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on April 29.
This story was originally published April 24, 2021 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Who will be next president of Modesto Junior College? Three finalists are revealed.."
