With a timeline on the search for a new leader in place, College of the Canyons plans to announce a new website so the public can follow the process.
College officials announced a special board meeting scheduled to start 2 p.m. Tuesday in a notice published Monday. In the meeting, the board is expected to approve the new site.
At the Nov. 12 Santa Clarita Community College governing board meeting, the search consultants announced the search committee to replace former chancellor, Dianne Van Hook.
In an effort to promote “transparency, communicate the progress of the search and provide a centralized location for information related to the recruitment process,” the college’s ad hoc search committee approved a “an external-facing CEO search website.”
“The site has been reviewed by the search consultants to ensure alignment with industry standards and best practices for executive-level recruitment. It is now ready for publication pending board approval,” according to the agenda for Tuesday. “Approval of the website at this time will allow the district to launch it in conjunction with key recruitment activities and ensure that the campus community and public have access to accurate, consistent information.”
The CEO search website will let people know the college’s goals in its search; information about the college; how an applicant might apply; and the recently approved timeline for the search, among other bits of information.
There also will be contact information and links to search-related resources.
The search website is intended to help the public follow along with the process, which has come under scrutiny after the sudden departure of current interim Superintendent Jasmine Ruys’ predecessor, David Andrus.
Andrus, former president of COC’s Academic Senate, was named interim superintendent in August 2024, and then given a one-year contract in June 2025, which was terminated by the board less than three months later. That prompted an Academic Senate resolution aimed at two governing board members, Fred Arnold and Charlene Johnson, giving them a vote of no confidence.
A group involved in student government on campus urged the board to take the resolutions seriously and “to remember that rebuilding confidence starts with listening to the voices of students,” according to Kristian Mengistu, a member of the Valencia campus’ student government.
Van Hook, the college district’s longtime former leader, left after being placed on administrative leave by the board of trustees in July 2024. She filed a wrongful termination lawsuit last month against the college, which does not yet have a filing date, according to records available online.
After Van Hook’s departure, the board ordered a financial audit in response to allegations as much as $12 million was misspent under Van Hook’s tenure. There have been no criminal charges to date as a result of the allegations.
A response from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, regarding a request for a copy of the audit sent by COC’s legal counsel to the DA’s Office, indicated “the requested record may be contained within the LADA file of a case that is pending criminal prosecution and will not be provided.”
