By Traci Newell

Joe Hu/Town Crier Penny Patz, who has worked at Foothill for 17 years, will spend a good part of her one-year tenure focusing on Measure C projects.

Penny Patz got right to work when she began her term as interim president at Foothill College on July 1.

“It’s going to be busy this year, and it’s going to be a very important year for us,” Patz said.

Patz steps into office, taking over for recently retired Bernadine Chuck Fong, as the campus transitions from Measure E to Measure C construction and projects. In 1999, voters approved a $248 million bond issue called Measure E. Voters passed the bond so the district could repair and rehabilitate facilities at both Foothill and De Anza college campuses. Measure C, a similar $490.8 million bond, was passed in June.

“This year we are going to have a lot of work to do to prioritize, plan and begin our Measure C projects,” she said.

Patz, who previously served as acting president in 2000 during Chuck Fong’s sabbatical, has worked at Foothill for 17 years and has experience with bond measure construction.

“I’m in a good position for this because I have been through it all in Measure E,” she said. “I am pretty familiar with those lessons we learned - and the successful parts of Measure E - and I can bring that to the table for Measure C.”

Patz previously served Foothill as vice president for technology and instruction, overseeing major projects, including the installation of fiber optics and wiring throughout the Foothill campus and the current implementation of wireless accessibility. She also led the design project for multimedia classrooms and served in 1996 as co-author of the Foothill-De Anza strategic technology plan.

“The vice president position was good training for me because you have to see the big picture,” she said. “It’s so important to see the big picture as you move up in administration (and) try to make the best decisions for the students.”

Patz was named “Administrator of the Year” by the Foothill Classified Senate for the 1999-2000 academic year and received the Exemplary Achievement Award in 2003.

Patz cited some of her goals as promoting the college’s established culture and core values, maintaining open communication and honoring the participatory governance process.

“Foothill enjoys an excellent reputation because of the myriad innovative programs and services we offer our students and community,” Patz said. “As interim president, I will advocate for continuing our entrepreneurial spirit, our reputation for transfer preparation and basic skills, and initiatives such as learning communities, deep learning, the new math curriculum and beyond, including those related to career preparation.”

In addition to construction, another big focus for Patz as acting president will be the search for a permanent president, which is set to begin in the fall.

“Our goal is to find someone who is stable and will want to be at Foothill for a long time,” Patz said. Although Patz said she enjoys serving as president, she is too close to retirement to throw her hat in the ring for the position permanently.

“We are delighted to have someone of Penny’s caliber, experience and institutional knowledge fill the role of interim president during this important time of growth and innovation at Foothill and the district,” said Martha Kanter, Foothill-De Anza Community College District chancellor. “Her dedication to the education of community college students has been clear throughout her career, and I know she will be outstanding in her new role.”