Los Altos Town Crier » Kanter inaugurated as FH-DA chancellor, rails against state for severe budget cuts

By Town Crier Staff

Image from article Kanter inaugurated as FH-DA chancellor, rails against state for severe budget cuts

Martha J. Kanter is Foothill-De Anza’s fifth chancellor.

Martha Kanter was inaugurated as the fifth chancellor of the Foothill-De Anza College District Nov. 19 in Smithwick Theater at Foothill College.

Kanter served as president of De Anza College for 10 years before being named chancellor in May by the board of trustees following a nationwide search.

In October, Kanter received the Excellence in Education award from the National Organization for Women. In 1999, the Santa Clara County American Association of University Women named her Woman of the Year. The San Jose Mercury News and Women’s Fund has recognized her as a woman of achievement. In 1996, Kanter was named Woman of the Year in the 24th Assembly District.

Kanter noted that Foothill-De Anza now has 47,000 students, with another 5,000 turned away.

Saying, “We have lost faith in our leadership in Sacramento,” Kanter used a portion of her inauguration speech to rail against the state, saying that it has forced community college tuitions up by 60 percent while the colleges themselves retain none of the increased fees.

One of the new chancellor’s goals is to triple the current assets of the Foothill-De Anza Foundation, and she is committed to preparing students for careers, university transfers and “a fulfilling life.”

“We (community colleges) are the engine that drives the California economy,” Kanter said.

Foothill College President Bernadine Chuck Fong, De Anza Interim President Judy C. Minor and the board of trustees had key roles in the ceremony. The keynote speaker was Manuel Pastor, professor of Latin American and Latino Studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz.