President's message

Stability is one of the reasons that East Los Angeles College has enjoyed an unprecedentedincrease in enrollment, faculty, budget and programs for the past decade. It is my responsibility as interim president to maintain that stability. My mission is to serve as a caretaker for the entire college and to facilitate all of our educational programs.

As many of you already know, I have been associated with ELAC for more than thirty years. I have served as a counselor, dean and vice president. As such I have come to know the college, our students and our community quite well. East has a long and respected history in our service area. The college is seen as the best hope for education for many who have traditionally been denied access to higher learning. We must continue to target those individuals who need us most. East is more than just a place that offers classes. To many of our students, the college is a gateway to a new and better life.

Areas that require immediate attention include completion of Program Review for departments scheduled this year; updates for our accreditation report; continuation of our hiring processes for full time faculty and staff positions; pursuing a permanent location for our South Gate Center; increasing efforts concerning student transfer to four-year institutions; and aggressively moving our building projects forward. It is my intention to focus on bringing all members of the campus together to resolve issues in a collegial manner. ELAC is a dynamic and exciting institution.We have developed a spirit of cooperation that has produced amazing results. I will do everything necessary to maintain and build upon this positive energy. Another goal of mine is to be a "hands-on" president. I hope to attend as many committee meetings as possible. In addition, I want to establish lines of communication with all groups on and off campus. Please feel free to stop by my office to discuss any issues of importance.

ROBERT G. Isomoto
Interim president
East Los Angeles College