Calls for a fresh start come after Merced College names new president

Chris Vitelli, Merced College’s vice president of student services, has been named as the next president of the school, capping a troubled year at the college that has been colored by internal disputes and unanswered questions about the departure of its last leader.

The Merced College Board of Trustees selected Vitelli by a unanimous vote Tuesday, choosing the graduate of Harvard and the University of Florida over four other finalists. He takes over Jan. 2, according to the contract.

Merced College, a campus of nearly 4,200 full-time students primarily in Merced and Los Banos, has endured a rocky year, with faculty leaders often clashing with administrators, including an effort in October to call a no-confidence vote on the college’s administration.

Noting the turbulence, trustee Joe Gutierrez called for unity in support of the school’s new leader. Gutierrez was also named the new president of the board Tuesday night.

“We need to get behind him so we can move this college forward for one reason, and that’s the students,” he said.

As college president, Vitelli will succeed Ron Taylor, who was placed on paid leave by the board in January without explanation and later retired. Susan Walsh, the director of the Learning Resource Center, has filled in as president since Taylor’s departure.

Vitelli, who is from Florida, said he has lived in Merced for nearly a decade.

“As a member of this community, I’m uniquely mindful of the value and importance of Merced College to the community,” the 37-year-old said. “I look forward to working with the Merced College family to build on our long history of student success and access.”

He said he wanted to focus on student success, campus growth and “restoring the faith in each other.” The only one of the five candidates without a doctorate, Vitelli has a master’s degree from Harvard University and is in a doctoral program at Arizona State University, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Vitelli was hired as vice president of student services at Merced College in 2014, after serving as dean of instruction at Sonora’s Columbia College. Previously, Vitelli had been the director of business, industry and community services at Merced College and served as director of student services and academic support services at the University of Florida.

During a tumultuous year, the faculty union criticized the removal of two faculty members from the 22-member panel convened to select the new president, purportedly because of their perceived inability to be impartial.

Walsh also was embroiled in a clash with the Merced County Sheriff’s Office, which until this summer had provided security at the campus. The former college police chief, sheriff’s Sgt. Vince Gallagher, told the Merced Sun-Star he was asked to search for fingerprints on an anonymous letter that disparaged college leaders and that Walsh had pressured him to arrest a trustee she believed recorded a closed-session meeting.

Walsh denied the allegations and the college severed its relationship with the Sheriff’s Office, contracting instead with the Merced Police Department.

Faculty leaders have expressed concern that a lack of communication by administrators could put the college’s accreditation at risk. The college emerged from “accreditation warning” status in 2013. Merced College had to show its plans for improvement in five areas, including communications, to get approval from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. It also called for training for the school’s board of trustees.

The faculty is ready to put the challenges of the last year behind it, according to Patrick Mitchell, president of the Merced College Faculty Association.

“We are already encouraged by the conscientiousness, professionalism and enthusiasm shown by our new board members, and by the changes in board leadership,” he said in a statement. “We are also looking forward to working with Mr. Vitelli in his new role as the president of Merced College.”

The board itself is being reshaped as a result of recent elections. Two of the seven members failed to win re-election, with teacher Gary Arzamendi and retired college instructor Wayne Hicks losing to real estate agent Ernie Ochoa and attorney Carmen Ramirez, respectively.

Walsh has said she intends to retire after the next president comes on board.

Vitelli will make $228,000 a year plus benefits as president, according to the contract. In 2015, he earned $186,728 in pay and benefits, according to Transparent California, a watchdog website. Before his retirement, Taylor earned $265,206 in annual pay and benefits, according to the site.

Vitelli’s contract continues through June 30, 2020.

This story was originally published December 14, 2016 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Calls for a fresh start come after Merced College names new president."