ALEX HOBEN
editor-in-chief
alexandra.hoben@my.tccd.edu 

TCC students are speculating what future semesters are going to look like under the new chancellor.

With Elva LeBlanc’s hiring as the sixth chancellor of TCC on Dec. 8 last year, spring 2023 marks her first semester in the permanent position. According to TCC trustee Bill Greenhill, LeBlanc has been great to work with, and the transition was seamless.

“As far as I’m concerned she was our chancellor, and she’s got us on a roll, she really does,” Greenhill said. “She’s doing a marvelous job.” 

With this solidifying in leadership, some students are hoping to see more interaction between the student body and those in administrative positions. SE SGA secretary Jamea Johnson said that while she knows of the administration change, she isn’t aware of too much that has happened beyond that.

“I was not aware of Dr. LeBlanc or any of the things she had done prior to her appointment as chancellor,” she said. “Now that she has become chancellor I think that the board of trustees is still not properly communicating with students about the things that they do for the college, being that I haven’t heard much about them besides LeBlanc’s election.”

Johnson said she’d like to see LeBlanc take a more personal response to the student body to ensure a fairer representation of students in administration.

“It seems we only see her at district or administrator-dominant events, and not actually interacting with the people she should be representing,” she said.

SE student Sev Lohse said students don’t really have the time to care about upper administration politics since they have their education to worry about.

“There’s an air of apathy about larger-scale campus politics from students, but you can’t blame them,” Lohse said. “We’re here to learn, and a lot of people don’t have the time in their daily lives to keep up to date with it.”

TR SGA president Milo Koenig said he knew of LeBlanc before her appointment due to her role as NW Campus president and working under the previous chancellor. He said that LeBlanc is focused on three aspects of student academic life here at TCC: recruitment, retention and completion.

“TCCD’s enrollment is down by several thousand students compared to pre-COVID enrollment numbers, so her concern is understandable,” Koenig said. “My primary concerns at the moment are increasing campus accessibility and supporting students through community outreach and club activities. I believe that the measures we’re taking to help administrators connect with students will benefit both parties, and I will continue to advocate for student needs.”

Koenig encouraged students to reach out and talk to their SGA representatives if they have questions or concerns.

“That’s what we’re here for,” he said.

LeBlanc said that the administration is dedicating a lot of time to the persistence model in supporting students through their journey at TCC.

“We’ll continue being focused on students, so that’ll be our compass for all of the decisions that we make,” LeBlanc said.