President of Oxnard College Resigns

OXNARD — Steven Arvizu, who oversaw enrollment increases and the development of innovative educational programs, has announced his resignation as president of Oxnard College.

Arvizu, 57, said health complications from an automobile accident in 1998 are forcing him to leave his post at the 25-year-old campus. The resignation is effective this week with the close of the fall semester.

“I love my job . . . but my doctors have been urging me to put my health first,” he said.

Arvizu suffered a spinal cord injury in the rear-end collision near the college campus two years ago and has since experienced bouts of chronic pain. His physician recently declared him totally disabled.

After he was hired in 1997, Arvizu implemented curriculum changes, including a special associate degree program designed for working adults, as well as popular fire academy and dental hygiene programs. And his campus was the first in Ventura County to offer a computer networking academy sponsored by Cisco Systems Inc.

“I think the campus is now more nimble and more responsive to the needs of the community,” Arvizu said. “I think it will double in size in the next seven years, and I expected to be there to see it.”

Arvizu has seen annual enrollment increases as high as 10% since he arrived three years ago from his post as founding provost at Cal State Monterrey Bay.

Bob Gonzales, president of the Ventura County Community College District Board of Trustees, said he was sad to learn of Arvizu’s decision to step down.

“I know this must be hard on him . . . because he is a man of vision and a lot of heart,” Gonzales said.

The college district’s deputy chancellor, Mike Gregoryk, will serve as interim president until Arvizu’s position is filled. District officials expect to have a new president in place within six months.