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At a public forum held Monday in Creveling Lounge, PCC president/superintendent candidate Mark Rocha stressed the importance of moving PCC into the 21st century on all fronts, and hinted at a decade-long vision for the “next community college” centered around the Educational Master Plan (EMP).”The next president needs to be here for the next ten years,” said Rocha. “There needs to be. a global strategy to serve everyone in the world, to deliver education to a worldwide audience and [a way to] project out to the nonresident market.”

Focus needs to be found through the mission priority, he said, and the college needs to create a ladder for student success: “The key is to plan for progress, not perfection.”

Rocha is the second and final candidate named by the board of trustees for the president/superintendent post, marking the end of a search that began in December, after former President Paulette Perfumo unexpectedly resigned in August.

Desdemona Cardoza was announced as the first finalist on May 13 and hosted her own on-campus forum two days later.

She currently serves as provost and vice president of academic affairs at CSU Los Angeles.

On Wednesday, the board met in a special closed session to discuss the finalists for the post. A decision is expected to be announced during the next general meeting, on June 2.After receiving a doctorate in English from USC in 1988, Rocha has continuously taught English at the higher education level.

Starting in 1992, he has held a number of senior administrative positions at different colleges but has not stayed at any one post for longer than four years.

According to the St. Petersburg Times, he was one of four finalists for the presidency at Hillsborough Community College in Florida, until he withdrew his name from consideration in April.

During the Monday forum, Rocha also spoke on topics ranging from academic diversity to online classes and shared governance policy, while touching upon his experience at WLAC, where he has been president since 2006.

Crucial to Rocha’s administrative practices is what he calls “servant leadership.”

“You don’t work for me; I work for you,” Rocha said in his self-introduction to a crowd of faculty, administrators, students and community members. “I support you in my work.”

He spoke firmly about the need to upgrade classroom technology and expand online class offerings, noting that PCC has the potential to serve students aboard and away-such as the soldiers serving in current wars.

“Educational benefits must be there for veterans,” he said, adding that should PCC further continue to upgrade its technology systems, it must start with the classrooms and move outward from there.

Of shared governance practices, Rocha said, “Nothing will work at a community college unless shared governance works. Shared governance is about day-to-day, participatory decision-making.

“Everyone must be in,” he added. “There needs to be transparency, not ceremonial consultation.”

As the former CEO of Lake College, a for-profit university, Rocha brought to the forum his own vision of fundraising based on an idea he referenced throughout his responses: that of branding.

“Twenty-first century marketing is about the value of your brand, and [PCC’s] belongs to the students,” Rocha said, “who have a visceral, emotional connection with the college. So many narratives in this area begin at PCC.

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