eddinger

A seasoned administrator at Moorpark College has been named the school's new president.

Pam Eddinger, executive vice president of student learning, will succeed Eva Conrad, who is retiring.

The Ventura County Community College District board voted unanimously late Wednesday night to appoint Eddinger to the job.

"Sometimes a person is just the right person at the right time, and Pam is the right person at the right time," said board member Robert Huber. "She has paid her dues. And she has a lot of creative ideas for Moorpark College."

Contract is for three years

Eddinger, 48, will be paid the same as the district's two other college presidents. The salary is currently $173,068, but it is set to go up to about $183,000 on July 1, Eddinger's first day on the job. Her three-year contract also provides four weeks of vacation and no car allowance.

The district received 37 applications for the job. Eddinger was selected from three finalists.

The board was looking for a president who could bring more diversity to Moorpark College, which is known for transferring students to four-year universities, said district Chancellor James Meznek. The board is particularly interested in offering more career and vocational programs, he said.

Extensive experience touted

"We see the need for becoming more contemporary and comprehensive in the institution's approach," Meznek said. "Pam Eddinger has had extensive experience in career and vocational programming, and in economic development. There was a feeling she understood the organizational structure very well but had enough breadth outside Moorpark to bring a broader dimension."

Eddinger said Wednesday that she agrees with the board's vision for the college. As president, she plans to expand programs for adults returning to college; offer more online, weekend and evening classes; and talk with local employers about what they're looking for in employees.

"The next step is to promote access by building a number of career programs that will give our students more choices," said Eddinger, a Camarillo resident. "What we're really looking for is wider access. We've got to serve students where they are."

Honesty with colleagues

In her work at Moorpark, Eddinger has valued integrity, being honest and straightforward with colleagues, said Jeff Baker, an English professor and past president of the Academic Senate.

"My experience with her is that she means what she says, and she says what she means," Baker said. "She's the person everyone will be looking to for how we do what we do on campus. That kind of attitude trickles down."

Before coming to Moorpark College in 2005, Eddinger was an administrator at Massachusetts Bay Community College, where she served as executive vice president, vice president of academic affairs and dean of faculty, executive director for college relations, and director of public relations.