Update: SMCCCD selects Melissa Moreno for chancellor

Laney College President Rudy Besikof is one of four finalists for the San Mateo County Community College District’s (SMCCCD) search for a new chancellor. 

Other finalists include Carlos Cortez, the former Chancellor of the San Diego County Community College District; current SMCCCD Interim Chancellor Melissa Moreno; and former Foothill College president Thuy Nguyen, who is currently a partner at the law firm of Garcia Hernandez Sawhney, LLP.

SMCCCD announced the finalists in a press release March 13. Information on the candidates and search process is available online. 

SMCCCD has over 28,000 students enrolled across its three campuses in San Mateo County: Cañada College, College of San Mateo, and Skyline College. 

Besikof, Cortez, and Nguyen, were also finalists for the Peralta Community College District’s (PCCD) chancellor search last year. PCCD’s search concluded in November 2023 with the selection of Tammeil Gilkerson, a former Laney College President who was serving as Evergreen Valley College President at the time. 

During the PCCD search, the The Citizen Editorial Board interviewed each of the four finalists and ultimately endorsed Gilkerson by majority vote with Besikof as runner-up.

Besikof’s contract as President of Laney College was renewed by Chancellor Gilkerson and the Board of Trustees in February this year, for his service through June 30, 2025. 

When asked if he intended to vacate his seat if selected for SMCCD chancellor, Besikof declined to comment on an “ongoing” process, but added that he felt “blessed” to be Laney College President. 

Besikof joined Laney College as Vice President of Instruction in 2018. He became Interim President of Laney in July 2020 following Gilkerson’s departure from that position for her post at Evergreen, and was appointed as permanent Laney College President in November 2020.

His tenure as Laney President ran into nearly immediate controversy. In February 2021, the Laney College Faculty Senate passed a resolution to censure Besikof, alleging a “lack of planning, communication and leadership.”

Besikof commented on the censure during an October 2023 interview with The Citizen. 

“At the time, I was a new president,” Besikof said. “[…] I was a leader who was learning on the job, and in spite of that action […] things have turned in an incredible, remarkable direction.”

Besikof has been an enthusiastic proponent of the free tuition initiative at Laney, which began in Fall 2022 after PCCD saw crushing blows to enrollment levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

PCCD enrollment hit a low of ​​17,405 students in Spring 2022, a 25% drop from Fall 2019, according to state data. The decline was consistent with a 25% decline in enrollment across California Community Colleges. 

Recently, PCCD has seen enrollment rebound to nearly pre-pandemic levels, with 21,434 students enrolled in Fall 2023 compared to 23,432 students in Fall 2019. 

SMCCCD enrollment has surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to state data. 

Statewide, the CCC system is still missing about 300,000 students.

Besikof and the other finalists participated in one-hour recorded forums on March 14-15. The recordings will be available online until March 22. 

SMCCCD anticipates announcing its decision on a chancellor-elect at its next regular Board of Trustees meeting, scheduled for March 27. The district intends for its new chancellor to take up the position on July 1, 2024.