Los Medanos College President Bob Kratochvil announced Ruth Goodin as the new Interim Dean of Institutional Equity and Advancement Monday, Feb. 8.

The position’s responsibilities entail creating a campus where every student has an equal opportunity to be successful and ensuring there is no discrimination on campus. For example, if a student has a learning disability, they will be accommodated so that they have equal access like other students.

“Ruth’s broad experience and deep commitment to equity have prepared her well for this interim role,” Kratochvil wrote in an email.

As the position is new, part of Goodin’s job is to help lay out the job duties and responsibilities for the future permanent dean that will take over December 2016.

“The truth is that there are already so many practices and activities throughout LMC that are addressing equity for our students,” said Goodin. “I see this position as facilitating people collaborating more on this work.”

She sees this role as having the responsibility of finding practices or programs that are not equitable for students and others in the LMC community and “recreating our work through an equity lens.”

Goodin was previously the Senior Foundation Director of the LMC Foundation for seven years, where she wrote grants, and oversaw Professional Development and Contract Education. One of the grants she wrote was the Hispanic Serving Institutions grant, which is given to colleges who have a Hispanic population that is 25% or greater. Some of that funding went to the Transfer Academy, a learning community on campus whose goal is to help more students transfer to four-year universities.

“This work of equity and inclusion is very important to me,” said Goodin. “My work has always valued each person as an expert of their own cultural identity and I have worked hard – along with many others on campus – to address organizational systems of power and privilege. Working toward institutional change that honors each person for who they are.”

Goodin is currently working on a STEM grant for the LMC STEM program that is worth $4 million in an effort to broaden the program.

“I look forward to completing the proposal so I can dive deeper into the new Equity part of my work,” said Goodin.

She is also the co-chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee, which makes sure that the college hires a diverse faculty with different opinions and backgrounds.

“I’ve heard Ruth described as the heart of the campus,” said Tamara Green. “She is universally praised for her significant contributions to LMC over the years, and for her empathy and kindness.”

Goodin’s position began in February 8 and will continue until the end of the fall semester, when they will hire someone for the permanent position.

“I look forward to meeting with students and hearing their stories, hearing about what works for them at LMC and what doesn’t,” said Goodin. “What the obstacles are that get in the way of their success at LMC and working with them to remove these obstacles.”