Crafton Hills College President Gloria Macías Harrison announced her retirement, effective at the end of the spring 2012 semester, at the recent College In-service Day, saying, “I want to thank all the faculty, staff and administrators with whom I have served for their support and friendship. I am indeed fortunate to have

been a part of the Crafton Hills community for the past 18 years.”  President Harrison has served as president since 2000, and unique to college leadership around the state, has spent her whole professional career in the San Bernardino Community College District.

An alumna of San Bernardino Valley College, and having earned her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of California at Riverside, President Harrison began her career in academia as a professor of Spanish, spending 24 years in the classroom before she moved into educational administration. She served as the Dean of Humanities at San Bernardino Valley College, then Vice President of Instruction at Crafton Hills College, prior to her appointment as President.

San Bernardino Community College District Chancellor Bruce Baron said, “Over the past twelve years, Gloria has brought to the office of the presidency a willingness to work on tough issues, a dedication to her students and staff, and a commitment to enhancing the quality of life in this community. In her role as educator or as an administrator at Valley College or at Crafton Hills, she always put students first, which represents the heart of the community college.”

President of the Board Carleton W. Lockwood, Jr., noted “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I wish President Harrison the very best, personally and professionally. She led her college through some very challenging times, and the campus, faculty and staff are all the stronger for those experiences. I know that she will continue to be a moving force in the community, as she is one of the most dedicated volunteers I know.”

A similar note was voiced by the President of the Crafton Hills College Foundation, Don Nydam, who said, “President Harrison has been an outstanding president and, as she retires, she leaves behind a beautifully renewed and rebuilt campus staffed by the best people and attended by great students. She has actively supported the Foundation by establishing a department of resource development and framing a strategic plan, exemplifying a new focus on fundraising and encouraging increasing donations, all going to support our students.  We will miss her leadership.”

President Harrison was a governor’s appointee to the California Commission on the Status of Women and served on the California Council for the Humanities and numerous state committees on education.  Locally she is a member and past chair of The Community Foundation of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, a member of the Kiwanis Clubs of Yucaipa and of Greater San Bernardino, a member of the San Bernardino Symphony Association and Guild, a board member of Planned Parenthood for Orange and San Bernardino counties, and secretary of the Crafton Hills College Foundation. She also belongs to many professional organizations, including the American Association of University Women, the Hispanic Council of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, and the Association of California Community College Administrators.  She is the recipient of numerous awards.

President Harrison is also the founder/owner publisher of the El Chicano Community Newspaper, and co-owner/co-publisher of the Colton Courier, Rialto Record, Inland Empire Weekly and Sun Newspaper Group.