We here in the Peralta community welcome Dr. Rudy Besikof as Laney College’s Interim President. He has been at the college since 2018, when he was hired as its Vice President of Instruction, the same position he previously held at Mt. San Jacinto College for more than two years prior to joining Laney. Prior to becoming a Chief Instructional Officer in 2016, he served for five years as a dean, first at Woodland Community College as its Dean of Instruction and Learning Resources, and later at Los Angeles Valley College as a Dean of Academic Affairs. Prior to becoming an administrator in 2011, Dr. Besikof taught English and English as a Second/Foreign Language in two and four-year colleges not only in California, but also in Colorado, Japan, and France.Dr. Besikof is a 2010 graduate of UCLA's Educational Leadership Program. His dissertation, The Role of the Community College President in Fundraising: A Best Practices Study, was recognized with the UCLA School of Education's Outstanding Dissertation Award.
"The coming months are critical, as we have five priorities of equal importance that stand before us:
- Increasing the number of students who graduate with degrees or certificates
- Restoring what had been our improving enrollment numbers
- Supporting students and faculty in our online classes and in-person labs in Fall 2020
- Continuing our implementation of Guided Pathways
- Reaffirming Laney’s accreditation status
There is a lot of work ahead, but it is going to be built on some incredible efforts to date that have us on the doorstep of achievement [...] I look forward to the coming months of collaboration and hope that everyone continues to stay safe and healthy."
Let's all do our best to welcome President Besikof into his new interim role.
