PLNC is an institutional member of the Society for College and University Planning (SCUP).  This highly regarded national organization is composed of over 3,500 higher education planners and architects.  Its journal, Planning, and other specialized publications provide excellent professional guidance and insight.  Since 1990 I have regularly attended both national and Pacific Regional meetings, and at my encouragement for the past three years Gene Frye (Director of Construction) and Bill Ferguson (primary campus architect) have also attended.  This professional participation greatly increased the planning synergy which has enhanced the extraordinary physical plant development on campus.  I usually arrive at the conventions two days early to participate in intensive planning workshops and, more recently, visits to campuses in or near the convention city.  The sessions, both national and regional, are of extraordinarily high quality and range.  In 1994 and 1995 I was chosen to represent independent higher education on the SCUP Regional Executive Committee.  I am personal friends with the last three presidents of SCUP, two of whom have been on this campus.  Gene Frye and I have presented our work at a regional conference.  The planning committee for the March meeting of the Pacific Region is considering scheduling a tour of PLNC.  This college is recognized both nationally and regionally as being in the forefront of planning for institutions of our size and type.

Because the City attempted to impose unreasonable conditions before it would approve PLNC’s Conditional Use Permit (CUP), the College filed a lawsuit against it.  From 1990 to 1992 I assisted Jack Morris in working with two law firms, at a cost of $500,000, to achieve a favorable court ruling.  This effort also involved using the California Coastal Commission to achieve our objective.  The strategies employed were complex legally, required political acumen, and a sensitive management of public relations.  This was a major thrust of my work during these years.

When PLNC purchased this campus in 1973 it was required to accept an anti-vivisection provision in the deed which severely limited research and teaching options in both biology and psychology.  When the woman who demanded the restriction died in December, 1992, and assigned her estate to a single heir, the President agreed that I should try to remove this restriction from the deed.  After two years of negotiation and legal maneuvering, and the payment of $36,000, I was able to obtain a quitclaim deed which removed the restriction.

PLNC operates under severe regulation by both the City (Conditional Use Permit--CUP) and California Coastal Commission (Coastal Development Permit--CDP). After five years of legal and political maneuvering, the College received revised permits in 1992 which authorized the physical expansion outlined in the Centennial Master Plan.  The CUP had 44 conditions and the CDP had 6. I was given the responsibility to lead the College’s compliance efforts, many of which had complex legal, political, land use, and community relations implications.  Within four years PLNC had met every condition except one where the City and Coastal Commission disagree as to the requirement.  Some of the most notable conditions were a deed restriction, signage program, joint use agreements, landscape plans, enrollment and parking regulations, construction of a traffic signal (and obtaining a $60,000 rebate), open space easement, erosion mitigation, utilities easement, western loop road use agreement, athletic field use agreement, and community traffic study which might have led to barricading access to the streets near the College entrance.

There is a long history of conflict between colleges on this site and their wealthy, politically astute, and litigious neighbors.  Because these conflicts often focused on some legal or CUP/CDP issue, I became the official College spokesperson to them and the media.  This responsibility has grown over the years until now I receive all complaints regarding parking in the community (a huge problem), disobeying traffic laws, noise, trespassing, water run off and erosion, etc.  Many of these complaints threaten lawsuits, and/or appeals to politicians for relief.  After many years of patient, diplomatic listening, discussion, problem solving, political friend making, and publication of periodic neighborhood Newsletters, the relations between PLNC and its neighbors are the best they have ever been.  It is widely recognized that I have been responsible for this result.  These relations remain potentially volatile on a daily basis.

After my appointment in January, 1990, the office scrambled to quickly assemble a planning process prior to the WASC visit in April.  Jack Morris (and later I) chaired a Strategic Planning Group (SPG), composed of the three deans and a number of middle managers.  This group completed a 26-page Strategic Planning Process which was adopted by the cabinet on December 11, 1990.  It provided continuing goals and asked 42 planning units to develop purpose statements, objectives, and strategies within a 20-month time line.  This ambitious effort ultimately ended in frustration for many different reasons.  Other projects on space allocation and the development of a master plan development time line were much better received and continue to be implemented.  The SPG was disbanded, only to be replaced by the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC), a newer version of a planning committee which sought to remedy some of the weaknesses of SPG, e.g. appointment of a faculty chair, inclusion of all cabinet members (including President Bond) and several faculty, and a mission to integrate the planning and budgeting processes.  This effort, which was clearly mandated by the President, was well received by WASC but has also been of limited effect for a number of reasons.  Interestingly, the PBC has had three excellent meetings this fall of 1997 and it appears that the committee may be maturing in its ability to focus on its reason for existence.

On May 18, 1994 the SPG proposed master plan was presented to the Cabinet.  In truth, it was the work of Gene Frye and myself, approved by SPG.  This plan was fraught with complexity since many academic and administrative units had the opportunity to move to either new or renovated facilities.  It was a major diplomatic victory that this plan was agreed to by SPG, the academic deans, and all operational units.  After the demise of SPG the Cabinet requested that Gene and I periodically update the plan and make recommendations for any changes.  The basic framework of the Master Plan is still intact after updates on December 12, 1995 and August 12, 1997.

Since 1993 I have served on the building planning committees of all the significant physical plant projects, working closely with architect Bill Ferguson and Director of Construction Gene Frye.  My major role was to assure that the project fit within the context of overall campus development, employed quality design criteria and materials, harmonized architectural styles to the extent possible, and acted as an “interpreter” to help faculty members and architect/construction personnel to communicate effectively.  I think the results speak for the effectiveness of the process.  A group of interested faculty have acted as unofficial advisers across multiple projects.  And throughout all the planning and construction upheaval, there has been almost no criticism or expressions of resentment by faculty, staff, or students.

I have taken a special interest in the renovation and restoration of the historic Theosophical buildings on campus.  We have been able to take what many people considered to be eyesores and made them into beautiful, functional structures.  The best examples of this effort are Cabrillo Hall, the Records Office, Greek Theater, and the Alumni House.  Three more buildings need substantial work: Mieras Hall, Health Center, and the “Lotus House” just east of Cabrillo Hall.

For several years I have been a strong advocate for standardizing and improving the “corporate image” of PLNC.  There have been some small advances on some issues, but not a comprehensive agreement on how to proceed.  Obtaining resources to implement the plans has been difficult.  At present a committee is at work with representatives from Planning, Graphics, Administrative Dean, and Art.  Plans are underway to possibly implement some of the ideas should the institution move to university status.  Hopefully a new entryway would also be a part of this conversion.

I have served as a resource person to College/University Commission II (1990-1991) and College/University Commission III (1997--).  Each of these commissions have been composed of the President, trustees, administrators, faculty--and this year also an alumni president and a student.  I have conducted a number of research projects and surveys for each of these groups, and am the unofficial secretary of Commission III.

When the College purchased this campus in 1973 the property was split with the City in an unfortunate way leaving a portion of the western loop road, the upper parking lot, and lower athletic field on City property.  The draft master plan for the park in 1990 called for the elimination of the road, parking lot, and athletic field. Out of the lawsuit against the City, the College was granted a 25-year lease to use the road.  The City tolerates student parking on the parking lot at present.  But use of the athletic field has continued to be a major conflict with the extremely vocal Sunset Cliffs Natural Park Recreation Council (SCNPRC).  I have represented PLNC at this community group’s monthly meetings since 1990.  The College’s continued maintenance and use of the athletic field has been deemed essential to our intramural program and Title IX gender compliance.  A new park master plan is currently moving through the City bureaucracy.  Since 1990 I have been increasingly able to isolate the SCNPRC and obtain a measure of community support for continued PLNC and public use of the athletic field.  The support of the local City Councilmember is absolutely essential.  The athletic field has come under renewed attack by the Recreation Council; the College has submitted a plan to slightly enlarge and reorient it (and offered $100,000 to help accomplish the task).  This strategic issue will be the centerpiece of a debate that will likely end before the City Council in late 1998.

It has always been understood that I am available for whatever duties the President wished me to pursue.  I have outlined the major planning activities which he actively supported.  The following list includes some of the additional duties he assigned:

1. Prepare a research report on the types and provisions of presidential contracts (which led to the present PLNC President’s contract)
   
2. Make occasional presentations to the Board of Trustees, e.g. the anticipated impact of reaching the 2000 FTE Cap on enrollment, and planning update reports to a Board subcommittee
   
3. Organize the dedications of the Ryan Library, Cooper Music Center, and Nicholson Commons
   
4. Prepare the rough draft for and with him edit the President’s “Centennial Vision Statement” (November, 1991)
   
5. Condense his edited version of proposed goals received from Cabinet members, and organize it into what became his “PLNC Goals 2000" Statement (March, 1996)
   
6. Develop and maintain longitudinal “performance indicators” which helped to provide benchmarks with peer institutions
   
7. Obtain City and State permission to allow PLNC to landscape the median strips at the Catalina and Lomaland intersection
   
8. Have lighting and landscaping installed in the median strip just west of the PLNC entry which contains a line of palm trees
   
9. Respond to surveys, and some correspondence, sent to the President’s Office