Feb. 19, 2008 — The Lassen Community College Board of Trustees officially approved a three-year-contract deal with college president and Superintendent Douglas Houston at its regular meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The contract came after the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges passed an emergency regulation. The board of governors, headquartered in the Community College Chancellor’s Office in Sacramento, has control over all the community colleges in the state.

The regulation effectively allowed the board to waive the process of advertising for a new president as well as the process of interviewing and selecting. Both were considered to be costly procedures by the college, which is currently in a state of deficit spending.

Houston’s contract was approved during closed session at the meeting. When the board reopened the meeting to the public, Houston was officially announced as president. Until now, he was still operating as an interim president. His new contract will run from March 1, 2008, to March 1, 2011.

No one at the meeting voiced any concern with the emergency measure and subsequent approval. In fact people came out to show their support of the board’s decision to keep Houston, including Lassen College Faculty Association President Mark Nareau.

“On behalf of the union, we are pleased that the Chancellor’s office has indeed granted the board’s request,” Nareau said. “Not because of the position of the president itself, but because of the man in that position. We are encouraged as a faculty association with the progress we’ve made. We are especially encouraged by Dr. Houston’s leadership at this critical time, and we wholly endorse him.”