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Walters Leaves City College Top Post

By J. Douglas Allen-Taylor
Friday June 29, 2007

Berkeley City College President Judy Walters, who presided over the transition of the downtown community college from its longtime rental quarters to a newly-built Center Street building, has left her position to take up a similar post at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill. 

Her replacement as Interim BCC President is Dr. Wise Allen, a longtime Peralta Community College district employee who was selected to serve through December at a salary to be negotiated. 

No official reason for Walters’ departure from the district has been given, and Walters was not available for comment on Thursday. Walters was named BCC’s permanent president only last October. 

At going-away ceremonies at Tuesday night’s Peralta Board of Trustees meeting, Peralta Chancellor Elihu Harris praised Walters while describing her as “the sixth president of Diablo Valley, the last president of Vista Community College, and the first president of Berkeley City College.” 

Walters was named interim president of the old Vista Com-munity College in 2004, and kept that position when the college changed names and buildings last summer. Prior that, she served as Vice Chancellor For Educational Affairs at Peralta and in several positions in the State Chancellor’s Office of the California Com-munity Colleges.  

Harris praised Walters at Tuesday’s meeting, saying that while she was service as Vice Chancellor “she helped keep the district together when I came here after the sudden departure of my predecessor. She doesn’t back up, and she doesn’t back off.” To laughter from the audience, Harris added, “Probably that’s why she isn’t going to be here any more.” Harris said that the district would keep office space open for Walters, noting that “we offer you sanctuary, if you need it.” 

Peralta Academic Senate President Joseph Bielinski, who worked under Walters at Peralta, said his fondest memory of Walters was watching her during meetings with contractors and architects during the BCC construction. “You were the only woman in attendance,” Bielinski said, “and you constantly called them to task. That is an image I will never forget.” 

In her last report on Berkeley City College on Tuesday night, Walters said that the college had significantly jumped in enrollment and staffing over the past year as it moved into its new building, adding almost 600 in enrollment and 100 in staff during the regular school year while virtually doubling both enrollment and staff in the summer sessions between 2006 and 2007. 

Walters’ replacement at BCC, Wise Allen, has held several positions within the Peralta district, including sociology instructor, dean at the College of Alameda and Laney College, vice president at the College of Alameda, president at Merritt College, and vice chancellor of educational services for the Peralta Community College District, the position Walters later occupied.