Napa Valley College's Interim President Ronald Kraft stands in a grove of trees, one of his favorite spots on the campus. (Sarah Rohrs / Times-Herald)
NAPA -- For Ronald Kraft, Napa Valley College's new interim president, community colleges are a broad stratum which can touch and elevate the lives of nearly everyone.He should know. He both attended community college as the first one in his family to pursue higher education, and has worked in them for nearly four decades.
Kraft says community colleges are for everyone. He has been at graduations which included both a student as young as 15, plus a 97-year-old man who died just before commencement and had his 12-year-old grandson give an acceptance speech.
"This is the best job on the entire planet," Kraft said of working in community colleges.
In one of his very first classes at Grossmont Community College, Kraft immersed himself in interdisciplinary approaches to learning.
The teacher brought in a poster of Van Gough's "Starry Night" and played Don McLean's "Starry, Starry Night" and used them all elements for a lesson on math, physics, art and music.
"That shaped me over the years. I was lucky to get a very integrated and strategic approach to education," Kraft said.
"I was not raised to see things in silos," he added.
Kraft intends to put that integrated approach to work as interim leader of Napa Valley College. He replaces Armond Phillips who had served as acting president after the June departure of former permanent president Edna Baehre-Kolovani.
A Laguna Beach resident, Krafts said he may very well apply for the permanent
position, but expects to serve as interim chief for a year. He has temporarily relocated to the Napa Valley for the interim position. His wife and last son still at home take turns visiting each other from Southern California, he said. Two other sons live and work in Seattle.Meanwhile, the board has hired a search firm and launched an executive search for a new permanent leader.
After starting his post Aug. 1, Kraft, 62, said one of his chief tasks has been to remind staff, students and the community of the educational treasure they have in their midst.
"This is a destination campus, one of the few in California," he said, adding the school is distinctive due to its location in the world-renown Napa Valley, its vintner program and cooking school on the upper campus.
Though Napa College and other California community colleges have been hit hard with budget cuts, Kraft said they still represent the best opportunity for advancement.
"Community colleges are, have been and always will be the strongest and largest strata in the United States. They bring us up to the next level in education and opportunity," Kraft said.
Kraft's roots are in California community colleges, including years on the governing board of Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. He also has extensive experience on college and community foundations.
His previous presidential position was heading up Southern California University of Health Sciences in Whittier. He also served as the president and chief executive officer of the Alliance for Corporate Education, which administers Washington state's community and technical colleges.
While there is much to celebrate at Napa Valley College, not all is coming up roses, Kraft said, referring to persistent budget cuts.
In order to both survive and prospect Napa Colleges and other schools must find new ways to build stability and viability, he said.
"Rather than try to trim around the edges and hope (state funding) gets better, we have to address new realities, a new normal," Kraft said.
Gov. Jerry Brown's tax package on the November ballot, if passed, will help community colleges but additional revenues will not solve the funding crisis, he said. Kraft and other staff are creating a contingency budget should voters reject the tax measure, he said.
California's colleges must adapt, Kraft stressed. "We are never going back. There will never be enough money for colleges to be like they were," he said.
Contact staff writer Sarah Rohrs at srohrs@timesheraldonline.com or (707) 553-6832.
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