When Dean Robert Fox retired in the spring of 2009, many on the Fresno City College campus felt he could not be replaced. That was until the search committee found Dr Christopher Villa who began his tenure as the new vice president of Student Services on Aug. 24.
“Villa is focused on management during a stressful time. He is cognizant of morale. He believes in collaboration and made it very obvious that his doors are open,” said FCC Psych Services Coordinator Dr. Brian Olowude.
A California native, Villa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Social Ecology from the University of California in Irvine, a Master’s in Public Administration from University of Southern California and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy from the University of Utah. Villa has held positions as a student-affairs professional for nearly three decades.
Villa said that it is his goal to continue enhancing student success and advocate for students to transfer and complete their education.
Villa was born to a Mexican-American family in East Los Angeles where he was also raised. He said he was strongly influenced by his family, his parents who made huge sacrifices for their children. “My parents valued education highly, and although our family had modest means as both my parents worked in factories, they sacrificed to send all of their children and me to parochial schools,” he said. His role models are his father, Robert Kennedy, and Gandhi.
The lessons he learned from his family and their support prepared Villa for his present position. “My father impressed on me the importance to have respect for other people regardless of their socioeconomic or ethnic/racial background,” Villa said. “This value, combined with a hard-work ethic and the belief that I could do almost anything with my life, prepared me for this role.” Villa said his present success can be attributed to the support of “great partner”, Diane, a high school teacher. His daughter, Larisa, is currently finishing her studies at UC Santa Barbara and is majoring in Psychology.
Villa said he is committed to the success of FCC students, adding that students tend to fail because of financial struggles and [unrealistic] expectations. “The cost of attendance at California community colleges is viewed as being only the $26 per unit, which could be mitigated by the Board of Governor’s Grant, but the average student should expect to spend an additional $1,000 for textbooks and other materials,” he said.
Additionally, students will come in with the expectation of a maximum two or three year stay at a FCC before they transfer. Villa said, “If you ask an audience at a freshman orientation how many expect to transfer, often you will have about 80 percent raise their hands. Unfortunately, many students are not prepared for college level work yet. Depending on the curriculum, English and Math classes can add more time. Sadly, some students will find this discouraging and leave school without completing their goals,” said Villa.
Villa remains hopeful that he can overcome students’ unrealistic expectations and curb drop out rates. It is his belief that through collaboration between departments, FCC students will receive the support and encouragement they need to succeed. While some changes are expected, Villa has set out to strengthen relations first. Villa said collaboration is the key to achieving his goals of enhancing student success and advocates for students to transfer and complete their education. Villa believes persistence and hard work pay off. “If you are determined and persistent to be the best that you can be, you will be successful in life,” he said.
Villa’s experience has taught him to appreciate that many other departments share this common goal. “Villa has experience with current trends and has worked at both the two year and four-year levels,” said FCC president Cynthia Azari. “It’s tough when you lose 40 – 50 percent of the categorical budget. He has to face questions such as ‘How do you keep everyone employed while cutting the budget?'”
Villa will need to draw on his extensive experience as he continues to learn about the campus culture and the community of Fresno, while simultaneously facing the daunting challenges ahead.
“He is asking all of the right questions…I think it is very wise of him to make connections before he starts making changes…Villa is open to people sharing,” said Dr. Sonya Hildreth, Dean of Counseling.
Not only must Villa face daily challenges such as the recent altercation between two students and campus police, but numerous budget cuts have added to the difficulty of his position. Despite the numerous challenges of his position, Villa said his first priority is and will remain with the students.
For students concerned at his availability, he assured, “I’m more than willing to meet with students. I do stack my schedule with meetings and appointments, but I always have little breaks here and there. If students need to see me, I will try to make time to see them that same day.”
Villa is doing his best to juggle all his responsibilities and still let students know that he is respectful of their needs. When faced with the recent altercation between students and campus police, Villa insisted that a full investigation would be held before any action is taken. He said, “We are conducting an investigation to see if there was violation of the Student Code of Conduct. We will look at the facts, including the police report.”
Olowude has only high praises for the new V.P. of Student Services. He said, “Villas has shown that his priority is with both student and staff success.”