Stephen Day
In a 2023 Viewpoints file photo, Claire Oliveros speaks to the Riverside City College community in the Bradshaw Building Hall of Fame.
The Board of Trustees for the Riverside Community College District voted to terminate the employment agreement of Riverside City College President Claire Oliveros, effective June 17.
Oliveros’ termination comes just shy of the two-year anniversary of her appointment as president on June 20, 2023.
“I’ll just say that I’ve had the pleasure of working with Dr Oliveros over the past year and she’s shown decisive and thoughtful leadership,” said RCCD Student Trustee Gabriel Graves. “She’s cared for students and made concrete contributions to our community.”
The RCCD Board of Trustees unanimously voted to end Oliveros’ term as president during a closed session on June 17. Oliveros had served as the 13th president of RCC since July 2023, succeeding Gregory Anderson, who was removed by the Board of Trustees in June 2022 after Anderson received a vote of no confidence by the RCCD Faculty Association.
Following Anderson’s dismissal, Rajen Vurdien briefly served as the interim president of RCC, followed by FeRita Carter, who remained as interim president until the Board of Trustees elected Oliveros as the permanent occupant of the position.
After an extensive search, Oliveros was among three finalists chosen to present why they would be the best candidate in a three-day forum in May 2023. Staff, students and faculty spoke with the candidates in the final round of selection and chose Oliveros as the next president of RCC.
The reason for the termination of former president Oliveros from her position is unclear. Oliveros’ successor has yet to be named and an interim president has not been appointed.
“This shouldn’t happen where a huge decision is made that we as students don’t get a voice in that can gravely impact our futures,” Graves added.
“We will need somebody who is willing and able to fully understand and support our students, who may be in their most vulnerable. My mind is with our students and how this affects us when we need someone. This means that our resources will be spread thin until we can fill these very big shoes,” he said.
In the same meeting, the Board of Trustees also appointed Rudy Besikof as the new President of Moreno Valley College for a 12-month term, beginning July 1 through June 30, 2026.
Viewpoints attempted to reach out to members of the Board of Trustees for comments, but were unsuccessful.