Following its second closed session over current leadership, the Santa Clarita Community College District board of trustees announced early Thursday morning the termination of Interim President David Andrus effective immediately.
After hourslong public and closed session meetings on Wednesday that bled into early Thursday morning, the board voted to place Andrus on paid administrative leave effective immediately and to begin the process of terminating him for cause pursuant to the terms of his employment agreement.
Trustees Fred Arnold, Sharlene Johnson and Darlene Trevino voted in favor of the termination, Edel Alonso voted against, and Carlos Guerrero abstained, according to the board meeting livestream’s report out of the late-night closed-session meeting.
The meeting saw a large presence of faculty and staff gathered to object to the possible removal of Andrus, in response to a closed-session agenda item regarding the potential discipline or removal of a public employee, which was widely believed by the public to be in reference to Andrus.
No reason for the termination was given by the board and it is considered to be a personnel matter that is confidential, Eric Harnish, COC vice president of public information, said during a follow-up phone call on Thursday.
Andrus’ contract had been set to expire on June 30, 2026.
Following the announcement of his termination, the board appointed Jasmine Ruys as the new acting president effective immediately, Harnish said. She has held the position of educational administrator and assistant superintendent/vice president of student services, according to the COC website.
On the appointment of Ruys, trustees Guerrero, Johnson, Trevino and Arnold voted in favor, with Alonso voting no.
“I am honored to serve as acting superintendent/president and support College of the Canyons during this important time,” said Ruys in a COC news release on Thursday afternoon. “My focus will be ensuring continuity, supporting our students and staff, and maintaining the high standards of excellence our district is known for in our community.”
The release also stated that the board of trustees previously contracted Professional Learning Personnel Leasing Inc. to conduct a nationwide search for a new president, and that process will continue moving forward with the goal of having a permanent CEO by July 1, 2026.
“The board has full confidence in Dr. Ruys’ ability to lead College of the Canyons during this time of transition,” said Johnson in the release. “Her deep commitment to students, collaborative leadership style, and years of experience within our district make her well-suited to guide the college as we continue with our search for a new college president.”
Following the announcement of Andrus’ termination, Nikki Staggs, an attorney representing Andrus, took the podium during public comment.
“My client has given almost 24 loyal years to the district with no disciplinary action ever. The board’s arbitrary, unsubstantiated, meritless allegations, or lack thereof, are absolutely baseless,” Staggs said, adding that Andrus was appointed to lead the institution through a time of “a broken college culture and managed to revive a sense of family and repair the district.”
“What is happening here is not about my client’s performance. It’s about politics. The law, contract, and California whistleblower protections all forbid retaliation in the form of discipline, much less dismissal … We object to these charges as vague, ambiguous, and retaliatory, and unsupported.”
Staggs added that the district “is now on notice. Any further steps against (Andrus) will be met with all available remedies.”
Andrus was appointed as an interim replacement for former Chancellor Dianne Van Hook following her removal from the position in July 2024.
In November, Andrus was the first to call an internal 20-year forensic audit of the college’s finances following a presentation given to the board that indicated $12 million was possibly misused among 700 projects between 2000 to 2019.
Of the $12 million that was identified, $8 million was for contracting fees and $4 million was for consulting fees, according to Jessica Ehrlich, a partner of F3 Law, who spoke about the findings in November.
During Wednesday’s meeting following the first closed session, COC’s legal counsel, Sherman Wong, of the Public Agency Law Group, announced the audit findings were now being handled by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office for further review due to “potential violations of law.”
Approximately 200 people filled room 258 in the COC University Center before the first closed session, according to Harnish.
The crowd was made up of mostly faculty and staff who were there to show opposition to the possible removal of Andrus and voice their displeasure with board members Johnson and Arnold. Approximately 17 public comments, mostly in support of Andrus, were given by faculty during public comment.
“David Andrus has been a steady, transparent, genuine and caring leader who has demonstrated time and time again that his priority is putting our students first,” Diane Rausch, an administrative assistant for the college, said during public comment. “Which is more than I can say for trustees Johnson and Arnold … I am urging you to put your trust in our campus leadership … We have never forgotten our students are why we are here. We serve them. We do not hear that message coming from you,” she said as she pointed to the board.
English faculty member Jim Keller stated during public comment that he believes if Andrus has done something to merit removal then the decision should remain confidential, but his concern was the forensic audit.
“We have rumor that he’s in danger of losing his job because he’s trying to release the the forensic audit. I just want to remind the three members of this board who we elected just last year that ran on a platform of transparency,” he said. “We in this room, the community, the students expect the results of that forensic audit to be released … It’s far better for us to know the worst than to let our worst fears and imaginations become the truth.”
