Longtime professor tapped as interim MJC president after abrupt firing of last leader
A longtime Modesto Junior College professor has been tapped as interim president while the search for a new president continues.
Eighteen-year MJC veteran Chad Redwing was announced as interim president Monday, Jan. 30, following the abrupt termination of previous president Santanu Bandyopadhyay in December. Redwing joined the community college in 2005 and has taught humanities and served as the coordinator its Institute for Applied Creativity and Community Transformation ever since.
In December, Bandyopadhyay was let go when the Board of Trustees decided not to renew his contract after he’d served as president for only 18 months. MJC has the highest CEO turnover rate of any community college in the state, with 16 presidents since 2000.
Yosemite Community College District Chancellor Henry C.V. Yong served as acting president briefly after Bandyopadhyay’s termination. Redwing begins his new position Feb. 6.
At MJC, Redwing has served as president of the Faculty Academic Senate and as co-leader in the ongoing accreditation preparation effort. Before coming to Modesto, he was the executive director of Cottonwood Classical Preparatory School, a grade 6-12 state charter in New Mexico.
In a statement announcing the leadership change, Yong said he was pleased with the selection. “Due to his many years of experience at MJC, (Redwing) has institutional knowledge and understands the mission of the college. I look forward to working closely with him to close out the spring semester and academic year,” Yong said.
Yong and Redwing will spearhead the search for a full-time president for the community college. Recruitment for the role is expected to start in March.
Redwing has a doctorate of philosophy in higher education and a master’s degree in humanities from the University of Chicago. He has a bachelor of arts degree in interdisciplinary humanities from Arizona State University.
He was one of several internal candidates who applied for the interim position and he already has announced he will not apply for the permanent position. The selection committee for the interim post included MJC faculty, community members and “other constituent groups,” according to the news release.
Former longtime Chamber of Commerce President-CEO Cecil Russell, who served as a community member of the interim president selection committee, said the process has been fair and had “a great group of folks working together to be part of the solution.”
Previous MJC President Bandyopadhyay’s selection process and tenure was filled with controversies. Two weeks after being named MJC president in May 2021, he applied for the same position at a Southern California junior college. Last year, he applied to be chancellor of the San Mateo County Community College District.
Bandyopadhyay has just been hired as interim president of Woodland Community College in the Yuba Community College District.
Redwing said he hopes his own selection process “sends the message that the opportunity will completely be open and no one has an unfair advantage” while applying for the permanent position.
“MJC has accomplished many great things in its past hundred years,” Redwing said in a statement announcing his selection. “It is important that we share the good news and continue the great work that has been happening. We’ll build on the past as we continue to serve our students while preparing for the future.”
This story was originally published January 30, 2023 at 6:48 PM.
