Dr. James Kossler

What a great privilege it is to be president of Pasadena City College at the time the institution is celebrating its 75th year of service to the community! At age 75, the college is one of the most respected community colleges in the nation, and it has acquired a unique place of affection in our community-especially among the estimated over one million individuals who, at one time or another, have taken a class at PCC. With few exceptions, those alumni genuinely love, and are proud of, Pasadena City College. It is, indeed, a privilege to be president of such a revered and beloved institution.

However, PCC didn't become such an outstanding institution overnight, and it didn't do so without some extraordinary leadership over those 75 years. It all began with William Ewing, who first saw the need for a junior college and proposed the plan that led to the creation of Pasadena junior College in 1924. Ewing, who served as the first president of the college, was succeeded in 1928 by John Harbeson. Harbeson was the longest-serving president, guiding the college through the Depression, the 1933 earthquake, and World War II. Many people in our community remember firsthand the "Tent City" after the earthquake and the return of the GIs to PCC after the war. It was also during Harbeson's tenure that the college band became the official band of the Tournament of Roses Parade. In addition to reconstructing the buildings damaged in the 1933 quake, Harbeson directed the building of the college's Observatory, which was dedicated by none other than Albert Einstein.

In 1950, William Langsdorf became the first PCC alumnus to serve as college president. He had taught in the Social Sciences department and was the college vice president for 11 years before assuming the presidency. During Langsdorf's nine years at the helm of the college, the Technology building was constructed, PJC and Muir College were joined, and the college teams became known as the Lancers. Catherine Robbins, a member of the faculty since 1923, became the college's fourth president in 1959. At the time, Robbins was one of only a handful of women community college presidents in the nation. During her six years of service as president, the college began construction of the five-story instructional building which now bears her name. Armen Sarafian became president in 1965. In addition to securing the funding for the college's science and nursing building, Sarafian also oversaw the introduction of instructional television, the creation of the Community, Adult Training Center, and the establishment of the college's first EOP&S program to provide academic assistance to minority students.

E. Howard Floyd became the college's sixth president in 1976. Although only serving for two years as president, Floyd had been a member of the college's Math Department since 1939 and also served for a number of years as the college's vice president. During Floyd's tenure, PCC initiated a unique pre-flight training program for the Navy. Richard Meyers was the next president, and he had five of the most difficult years in the history of the college. Proposition 13 had passed two years before and state funding for education plummeted. In order to balance the college budget during those undefended years, instructional programs had to be cut, and many faculty and staff positions were eliminated. John Casey was named president in 1983, and he inherited a dispirited staff still reeling from the prior years' financial crises. Casey concentrated on rebuilding morale and refocusing the campus on its primary mission of educating students. Jack Scott came to PCC as its ninth president in 1987. Aware that the college facilities had been neglected for years, Scott initiated a building master plan designed to refurbish the campus over a ten-year period. As the college enters its 75th year, the last phases of that $100 million plan are now being completed.

No question, PCC has been blessed with nine extraordinary presidents. I've mentioned some of the physical contributions they made to the growth of the college; of course, the most important thing that they each contributed to Pasadena City College was the quality of the faculty members they hired. I believe there is no greater single decision a college president makes, no single decision which can so impact the quality of the institution, than the decision to recommend an individual for hire as a member of the faculty. Great faculty can do a 'great job of teaching even in poor facilities. But mediocre faculty will perform in a mediocre way no matter how grand the buildings, Over the years; my predecessors certainly brought some world-class faculty members to PCC.

And so as I reflect on my good fortune to be the current president of Pasadena City College at the time of its diamond anniversary celebration, I can't help thinking about, and thanking, those nine "giants" on whose shoulders the present-day reputation of PCC is standing.