FACCC's Student Success Task Force Resource Page

Richard Mahon

Riverside City College

Graduating from a California public high school in the early ’70s, I thought I was done with school forever, though not with learning. The faculty at West Valley College — which I attended initially out of boredom — showed me how wrong I was and helped me find the passion that has guided the rest of my life.

In 1998, after graduating from UC Santa Cruz, I was hired as a full-time Humanities instructor at Riverside City College where I helped establish an honors program and have served as curriculum committee chair and academic senate president. I also served for five years on the executive committee of the statewide Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.

I would be happy to focus all my energies on teaching and my students. Having grown up in the ’60’s, though, I should have known better to think that I could just teach and leave the decision making to others: that is usually a recipe for disaster. After all, the California Community Colleges do not always prioritize the success of our students, especially our most vulnerable ones. Sometimes the cause is misguided local priorities; today, it’s a problematic, and potentially damaging, initiative from Sacramento disguised as “student success.”

The Academic Senate and our unions have a crucial role to play, both locally and at the statewide level, but without the effective advocacy of FACCC, our colleges and our students would be victim to even more well-intended, but ill-conceived, meddling from our appointed and elected officials.

Helping my students achieve their dreams continues to be the high point of every week, but advocacy must be central to our agenda. FACCC is the vehicle that makes the advocacy succeed. As a long-time member, and newly elected board member, I urge all my faculty colleagues to join FACCC and become advocates for our profession, our institutions, and our students.

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