Foothill College's president wants her job back after being placed on administrative leave | April 1, 2022 | Palo Alto Weekly | Palo Alto Online |

Palo Alto Weekly

News - April 1, 2022

Foothill College's president wants her job back after being placed on administrative leave

Community college district's board set to review Thuy Nguyen's employment at April 4 meeting

by Zoe Morgan and William Eltherington

Five months after being placed on paid administrative leave amid a rift with faculty members, Foothill College President Thuy Nguyen wants to come back to lead the community college and is asking the district's board to renew her contract for next school year.

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William Eltherington is a freelance researcher. Email Staff Writer Zoe Morgan at zmorgan@paweekly.com.

Comments

Posted by KEN HOROWITZ
a resident of Downtown North
on Apr 1, 2022 at 7:42 am

KEN HOROWITZ is a registered user.

As a professor at Foothill College for over 45 years, the Board of Trustees’ decision last October to terminate President Thuy Nguyen’s contract was perplexing. On Oct. 15, 2021 the Faculty, Administrators, and the Board submitted the College’s midterm accreditation report to the Accreditation Association of Community and Junior Colleges citing all its accomplishments and the work done by President Nguyen. You can find this report on www.foothill.edu. Yet ten days later (on Oct. 25, 2021), the Board ousted President Nguyen. The Board’s decision was ill advised and it is my hope that she will be reinstated at Monday evening’s meeting. She is a valuable asset to our community and students. The fact that she wants her job back says a lot about her character and why she is admired by so many people.


Posted by Ben Sadler
a resident of Midtown
on Apr 1, 2022 at 3:10 pm

Ben Sadler is a registered user.

JCs do not have associate, assistant, and full professorships as in colleges and universities.

In junior college they are called instructors regardless of whether they have a Master's or a Ph.D.

Lastly, a Ph.D. should only be called (or referred to as) 'Doctor' in their field or in an academic environment rather than in everyday life like medical doctors and dentists.

And the same applies to chiropractors


Posted by Luke Hoskins
a resident of Palo Alto Hills
on Apr 2, 2022 at 9:56 am

Luke Hoskins is a registered user.

"The fact that she wants her job back says a lot about her character..."

What is the current salary and benefits package for a Foothill-De Anza Community College District President?

This might be another reason.


Posted by William Hitchens
a resident of Mountain View
on Apr 2, 2022 at 7:09 pm

William Hitchens is a registered user.

I have friends who are members of the Foothill College Academic Senate --- none of whom have inferior Education majors. They have real, honest-to-god difficult university MS and PhD degrees in really difficult majors --- pathetically useless "Education degrees" excluded. They could have had far better academic careers than Foothill JC but they have chosen to help Foothill students to better their lives.
All of them, like all great teachers, are concerned about three things. The first is the success of their students after they graduate. The second is quality of their education. The third is the HONESTY of their education. And they all hate politically correct useless garbage and other non-educational garbage social mandates forced upon them by Foothill College's so-called "ignorant administrators". Including this poor useless fool begging to get her job back again [portion removed.]


Posted by Resident 1-Adobe Meadows
a resident of Adobe-Meadow
on Apr 3, 2022 at 10:42 am

Resident 1-Adobe Meadows is a registered user.

I was lucky to go to a great JC - Santa Monica City College back in the day when JC's were as good as state colleges in teaching the skills needed to progress to a 4 year school. The focus was on helping students get the right classes for their projected 4 year degree. That was back in the day when schools taught reading, writing, and arithmetic - and great sports programs that helped talented people to get onto the bigger teams. Unfortunately the education system to day in America is overrun by People pushing political agendas to serve their own needs of there advocacy groups - not the students.


Posted by John Donegan
a resident of another community
on Apr 3, 2022 at 11:21 am

John Donegan is a registered user.

The letters supporting Ms. Nguyen all praise her work on "racial equity" and such, but none mention her effectiveness as an educator. At what point did the role of a school in providing a good education become of secondary importance?


Posted by Anonymous
a resident of Duveneck/St. Francis
on Apr 4, 2022 at 7:55 pm

Anonymous is a registered user.

I don’t think she should get her job back. She’s focused on non-deliverable “equity.” (?)
How about being administrative leader for all?


Posted by KEN HOROWITZ
a resident of Downtown North
on Apr 5, 2022 at 6:26 am

KEN HOROWITZ is a registered user.

Dr. Ken Horowitz is a dentist and earned a DMD degree from Tufts University.
He taught in the dental hygiene program and was its supervising dentist.
Having a doctorate degree, he is entitled to be called a professor at Foothill College.


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