Alt named interim chancellor

Nicki Harrington, who will step down in June as chancellor of the Yuba Community College District, named Al Alt interim chancellor until her successor's term begins — an appointment that spurred support as well as questions from faculty.

"He's a very competent administrator," said Tim May, president of the Academic Senate for Yuba College. "I'm comfortable with Al Alt as interim administrator."

May did cite concerns with what he believes is support on the board of trustees for increasing the $232,429 yearly salary when the new chancellor is named.

"You watch," May said, "they're going to come in at $250,000 to $260,000."

Trustees are scheduled to take up the consultant search for the college district executive and that person's salary when they meet Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Woodland Community College.

Greg Kemble, secretary for the academic senate, said Alt's doctorate from a Mississippi-based business described as a diploma mill is part of the reason he questions Alt's appointment.

"As human resources director, his expertise should be to identify diploma mills — such as the one where he got his Ph.D.," Kemble said.

After a "no confidence" vote by the faculty in 2008, Alt was named vice chancellor of administrative services for the college district the following year.

Alt, the former director of personnel services for the college district, could not be reached for comment Monday. He has said that the doctorate was not a requirement of his Yuba College district job.

"In hindsight, I needed to do a lot more digging," Alt said in 2008 of Madison University. A representative of the Mississippi-based school had said Madison closed in 2006 after five years.

David Wheeler, who began as a college district trustee in December, said Monday that he sought to have the board discuss pay for the new chancellor.

"I don't want to keep escalating it," Wheeler said of the salary. "I don't think it's necessary."

Trustee Jim Kennedy, who also took office in December, said that the new chancellor's salary has not been set. Citing the current $232,429 compensation, Kennedy said, "I hope we can attract somebody for less than that."

"You pay what you need to get the right candidate," he said. "I don't know what it will take."

Xavier Tafoya, president of the board of trustees, could not be reached Monday for comment. Tafoya has voted to increase the chancellor's pay.

Trustees in November approved a $15,000 raise for Harrington that boosted her annual salary to $232,429. They had approved a $29,282 raise for Harrington a year ago — an action that led to a rally and petition opposing her pay boost. Trustees then rescinded the raise and cited a public perception that they violated a state open meeting law by approving the salary increase.

Yuba College professor May said Monday that salary is the focus of many executives at community colleges in California.

"This is the way the club does it," May said. "They jump from job to job."

"It's all part of the management game being played," he added. "It's about money."

Paige Marlatt Dorr, spokeswoman for the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office in Sacramento, said of executive compensation that, "We generally don't comment on issues like that. It is set locally."

CONTACT reporter Ryan McCarthy at 749-4707.