Dr. Murillo (center) addresses faculty at a meeting and informs them of her plans for City College. KAREN M. KINNEY / GUARDSMAN

City College welcomes Dr. Alice Murillo as the new vice chancellor of academic affairs this semester. Her experience spans 27 years as a community college faculty member and administrator throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.

The board of trustees appointed Murillo June 25. She assumed her duties as vice chancellor at the beginning of the month with a busy schedule of meetings, phone calls and appointments.

“Dr. Murillo is very busy in her new position,” said Velma Quan, assistant to the vice chancellor.

Murillo, a New York native, has worked in higher education since 1972. In that time she has climbed the ladder from math faculty member to dean and vice president. She has been a faculty member at various colleges from Puerto Rico to Florida.

Murillo embraces her opportunity for professional growth, which she has said comes with moving from a multi-college district to a single-college district.

“I look forward to the opportunity to work in a college environment that clearly puts students and community first,” Murillo said. She noted City College’s extensive noncredit/credit classes, and its strong community presence through its satellite campuses.

Murillo noted that she is particularly eager to participate extensively in noncredit academic programs and community based organizations.

“These functions either did not exist at my former college or were handled by another officer,” Murillo said.

Murillo’s management titles include institutional researcher at both the university of Puerto Rico, Ponce, and the University of South Florida, Tampa; dean of Science, Mathematics and Engineering at Sacramento City College; vice president of instruction at Colombia College; and most recently vice president of academic affairs at Diablo Valley College.

Her goals at City College are to focus on priorities: student access to City College programs, enrollment management, partnership development and student success with an emphasis on classes that provide students with basic skills to gain employment.

“City College is indeed fortunate that Dr. Murillo has accepted the position of vice chancellor of academic affairs,” Chancellor Philip R. Day, Jr. said in a press release issued late last month.

“Her leadership in statewide organizations such as the California Mathematics Project of the University of California and on the California Community College System Strategic Plan Implementation Oversight Committee will greatly enhance her role as City College’s chief instructional officer.”           

Murillo earned her doctorate in research design and statistics from Florida State University in Tallahassee. She received her master’s in mathematics from the University of Florida, Gainesville, and her bachelor’s, also in mathematics, from Catholic University of Puerto Rico, Ponce. She has a certificate in management and leadership in education from the Harvard University Institute.

“I believe in community colleges,” Murillo said. “My four children attended California community colleges . . . I am a strong advocate for the community college mission.”

e-mail: btaylor@theguardsman.com