Dr. Guy F. Lease has been the interim president of Fresno City College since the departure of Ned Doffoney, now the Chancellor at North Orange County Community College District. Lease’s term is from July 1 to Dec. 31, 2008.
Lease said he can relate to the students at FCC on many levels. “I’m a product of the community college; I went to a community college in Texas when I got out of high school, and it was a tremendous experience for me,” he said. “I’m very much a believer in our mission; I think our work with the people of California is critical to the future of California, and critical to the individuals that we serve.”
Tom Crow, Chancellor of State Center Community College District said Lease, formerly the Superintendent/president at Lake Tahoe Community College District, was chosen because “he was far and away the most qualified” for what Fresno City College needed at the moment. Crow added that among the qualities sought in the interim president FCC needed “someone who could give us [SCCCD] a good examination of our operations at the college, someone who is very personable and engaging with people, and someone who had a great deal of experience in leadership at the community college level.”
Lease said he plans to be heavily involved with the school’s activities and just become a part of the Fresno City College crowd. “I’m looking forward to not only getting out and seeing what’s going on in our classrooms and our programs but the students’ activities, to see the sports teams and to really see our students,” he said.
Contrasting Lake Tahoe Community College with FCC, Lease said, “Where I came from, we really struggled to attract and retain students; here, that’s not the problem. There, we had plenty of parking. That [parking] wasn’t a problem where I came from. There, the weather is cold; here the weather’s hot.”
Even with the differences, Lease will be leading FCC his own way.
“My style is to consult a lot, to communicate a lot, try to keep people informed of what they need to know about it and frankly that’s one of the big challenges in a school this big. We put out a lot of information but people have to read it, or listen to it. That’s one of the challenges that you have to overcome,” he said.
Lease said he welcomes students, faculty and staff in his office. “The door is open if people want to come see me; I would encourage students to come by. If they want to talk, stop me as I walk across campus and introduce themselves and say hello.”
