The search for a new College of the Canyons superintendent will include a series of forums for the community to provide input, according to an update provided to the COC board Tuesday night by the firm hired to find a permanent replacement for Chancellor Dianne Van Hook, who was removed from the position over a year ago.
The update from Professional Personnel Leasing in open session followed a marathon five-hour closed-session meeting in which the COC board unanimously approved the “separation” of David C. Andrus from his employment agreement as the interim president, a role currently filled by Acting Superintendent Jasmine Ruys.
A PPL representative said the superintendent position is anticipated to be filled by July 1, 2026, and will be preceded by an extensive search and multiple opportunities for the campus community to provide input on the process.
“We recommend that the formation of an ad hoc board committee to work with the search consultants and key staff should take place during these preparatory activities,” to ensure the entire college community will have understanding, support and guidance of the process, Pam Walker, a representative with PPL, said during the meeting.
Walker encouraged college-wide input forums so members of the college community can provide insight on what they believe is needed with the new superintendent/president. Many other colleges participate in this process, she added.
The data collected from the forums will then be presented to applicants so possible candidates are aware of ongoing issues at the school that they must address during their first year in the position and what they will face in the upcoming five to seven years with the position, Walker said.
“That’s how we go out and talk to people about your college, how we ask people to endorse others,” she said. “We’re going to conduct college-wide input forums, we’ll have a web-based survey along with that … This is very important, I think for the board of trustees to make sure that we’ve done our part so everyone on campus believes they’ve been heard, attended to, and listened to,” she added.
PPL hopes to receive a pool of 40 to 60 applicants and reassured the public they’ll be prepared with the appropriate measures needed to select the right person for the job.
The forums are anticipated to begin at the end of October and will take place at different times of the day and week to allow people with different schedules to participate in the process.
Andrus Separation
At the Sept. 10 meeting, the board voted to begin Andrus’ termination for cause after he was put on administrative leave effective immediately.
COC Trustees Fred Arnold, Sharlene Johnson and Darlene Trevino voted in favor of his termination, Edel Alonso voted against, and Carlos Guerrero abstained, according to the Sept. 10 board meeting livestream’s report out of the closed session.
No reason for Andrus’ then-pending termination was given by the board and it was considered to be a confidential personnel matter.
But after Tuesday’s more-than-five-hour closed session meeting, Andrus announced that he had formally stepped down from the position as interim superintendent/president, via a statement read during public comment by his attorney Nikki Staggs.
Andrus’ contract was set to run through June 30, 2026, or whenever a permanent president selection was made. He was appointed as Van Hook’s interim replacement following her removal from the position in July 2024.
COC’s legal counsel cited section 13.1 of Andrus’ employment agreement for the separation, which also included economic and non-economic provisions.
“The parties may terminate this agreement by mutual consent in writing at any time prior to the expiration of the term. Regardless of the term of this agreement, if the parties terminate it by mutual agreement prior to the date on which the agreement would have expired, the parties agree that there can be no settlement between them whereby district will pay administrator more than the then-current salary for six months beyond the termination date,” Andrus’ employment agreement stated, citing California Government Code sections 53260-53264.
“Administrator shall execute a release and waiver, in a form acceptable to the legal counsel for district, releasing district, and all of its elected officers, employees, agents, representations, and attorneys, from any claim associated with the termination. If administrator does not execute a release and waiver, no lump sum payment is required, and termination shall be effective, nonetheless,” it added.
Ruys was appointed the new interim superintendent at the Sept. 10 meeting. The governing board voted 4-1 in favor of the decision, with trustee Alonso voting no.
Four public comments in favor of Andrus were given during a public comment session held before the closed session meeting on Tuesday.
Acting vs. Interim Superintendent
After the closed session ended Tuesday, COC legal counsel also announced that by a unanimous vote the board took action to determine to appoint an in-house promotional-only interim superintendent president at the appropriate time.
To assume the role of interim superintendent the college’s human resources department will go through a process of reviewing current COC employee applications and interviews, Eric Harnish, COC’s director of public information, said during a followup call on Wednesday.
Ruys will also go through the application process if interested, as she is only acting superintendent and must formally be appointed for the interim superintendent role, he added.
This gives current employees with the minimum qualifications a chance to apply for the role, Harnish said. The position contract is set to end in June 2026 before the new permanent president is set to take over.
