Two Fresno City College administrators are among the four finalists for the job of running the oldest and largest college in the State Center Community College District.
The four finalists are Dr. Lataria Hall, Fresno City’s vice president of student services; Dr. Robert Pimentel, Fresno City’s vice president of educational services and institutional effectiveness; Dr. Cory Clasemann, vice president for student success at Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis, Indiana; and Dr. Madjid Niroumand, vice president of student services at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa.
The former president was Dr. Carole Goldsmith, who was named State Center’s chancellor in November. Dr. Marlon Hall has been serving as interim president.
Related Story: Goldsmith Selected as State Center’s New Chancellor
On Thursday Goldsmith announced that in-person candidate forums will be held on April 19. Those who can’t attend in-person can join a Zoom webinar at https://scccd.zoom.us/j/92061543752 or watch on a YouTube live stream at https://youtu.be/w_xeVGtw3hM. The Zoom webinar can accommodate up to 1,000 participants and no registration is required. The forums will also be made available on the district website at
scccd.edu/recruitment/fresno-college/forum/forum-information.html.
The candidates will each give a prepared statement and then will answer questions submitted by the public during their one-hour forum. To submit a question, go to https://scccd.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Cv8YJCfRGQunFc. The deadline to submit questions in advance is noon on April 13. Questions also will be taken during the forums but the questioner will need to be in person.
The forums will be in the Old Administration Building auditorium. Doors will open at 9 a.m., and the forums will be on the following schedule: Hall, 9:30 a.m.; Pimentel, 10:45 a.m.; Niroumand, 12:30 p.m.; and Clasemann, 1:45 p.m.
After the conclusion of the forums, the public may submit feedback at this link, https://scccd.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3Cv8YJCfRGQunFc, which will be activated on April 19 and remain available until 11:50 p.m. that night.
Meet the Candidates
- Clasemann has more than 23 years of higher education experience at two-year and four-year institutions. He has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Creighton University, a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix, and a Ph.D. in higher education from Indiana University. Prior to joining Ivy Tech, Clasemann worked at the University of Indianapolis and Creighton University.
- Hall is a first-generation college graduate from the Central Valley who has a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in rehabilitation from Fresno State, and a doctorate in education with an emphasis in exceptional learning at Northcentral University. She is president of the California Chief Student Services Officers Association.
- Niroumand is a graduate of the California Community College system. He studied at Cal State Long Beach and Dominguez Hills and Argosy University and has a bachelor’s degree in operations/management and master’s and doctorate degrees in business administration. Niroumand, who was a child actor in Iran, has 24 years of experience.
- Pimentel also is a graduate of the California Community College system and was among the first in his family to attend college. He transferred from West Hills College Coalinga to Fresno State, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in social work. Pimentel also earned a master’s degree in social work with an emphasis on mental health from CSU Bakersfield and a doctorate in educational leadership, higher education from Fresno State. Prior to working at Fresno City, Pimentel held leadership jobs at West Hills Community College District.
