Twilight of a bright career

Dr. Tyree Wieder is holding her final position within LACCD

Elliot Golan / Roundup

The service of Dr. Tyree Wieder, interim chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District, is coming to an end.

Raised in South Los Angeles, Wieder went to local public schools. She attended Compton Community College before transferring to CSUN, where she received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in educational psychology. She also earned a doctoral degree from UCLA in higher education administration.

Wieder has been with the district since 1981, including being the president of Los Angeles Valley College for 14 years, before retiring last summer. She was named interim chancellor in August after former chancellor Marshall Drummond resigned. She also serves as president of the Board of Library Commissioners for the Los Angeles Public Library, where her term ends in 2013.

“It’s amazing that after 13 or 14 months away, how easy it was to return,” Wieder said. She added that, due to her experience, it was easier for her to take the interim position and “help assist initially in the transition.” By serving as interim chancellor, Wieder is ineligible for permanent appointment, according to district rules.

A search committee will be formed to select a new chancellor by early 2010, according to Wieder.

“We haven’t begun the search process,” Wieder said. “Putting a focus on student success is always important.”

“When Dr. Wieder indicated an interest in serving as the Interim Chancellor, she committed not to apply for the permanent position,” wrote Deputy Chancellor Dr. Adriana Barrera in an e-mail.

Barrera has announced that she will apply for the permanent position. She is confident in her chances.

“I anticipate that my previous experience in this district as a college president (five years at Mission College) and my experience serving as the Deputy Chancellor will have prepared me for the position of Chancellor,” Barrera wrote in an e-mail.

Barrera served as acting chancellor this summer before the selection of Wieder.

Looking back on her time with the district, Wieder says she is most proud of the Strategic Team for the Advancement and Retention of Students (STARS) initiative at Valley. The program, which began in 2002, is “focused on student success.”

After the search for the next chancellor is complete, Wieder intends to return to her retirement and her position within the library system.

“When you are working 24/7, as you do as a college president, you do not have time to enjoy L.A.,” Wieder said.