William Norlund

Thomas Oliver, a veteran computer science teacher who has served for almost two years as interim vice president of academic affairs at Mission College, has been named to the post on a permanent basis, school officials said. In a written announcement, Mission President William Norlund credited Oliver with playing an integral role in the development of the community college's $12-million Library and Learning Resources Center, which opened in April.

Politicians and educators dedicated the site of a planned 20,000-square-foot classroom building Wednesday that will ease overcrowding at Mission College, the Los Angeles Community College District's smallest campus. Standing near a rendering of the proposed $4.7-million structure were district Chancellor Mark Drummond, state Sen. Richard Alarcon (D-Sylmar), Mission's interim president, Thomas Oliver, and Assemblyman Tony Cardenas (D-Sylmar), who many credit with securing the funds.

Spring semester enrollment at Mission College is up 10% over the same period last year, according to figures released Tuesday by the college. William Norlund, college interim president, attributed the increase to improved marketing and stronger ties between the college and the community. The Sylmar-based community college this year launched a direct-mail marketing campaign touting the benefits of the school and the wide variety of classes and seminars available, officials said.

Mission College will update its engineering laboratory with a $160,000 grant from the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, school officials announced. The grant will provide, among other things, 20 top-of-the-line IBM multimedia computers, giving students access to the same equipment that professionals use, college officials said. "This has meant everything to the engineering department," Mission President William Norlund said.

After a disastrous plunge in enrollment linked to last summer's scaled-back curriculum, Pierce College is again offering a wide range of summer classes beginning Monday. With more than 100 courses, summer offerings at Pierce this year will be almost four times that of last summer, when Pierce administrators nearly canceled summer school because of a funding crisis.

Making good on an earlier promise, Mission College officials invited residents and activists to a brainstorming session Friday aimed at drafting a five-year development plan for the community college. The session was held in part to make amends for last year's forfeiture of $4.7 million in state funds earmarked for a new classroom building, additional parking and athletic fields needed to meet the school's growing 6,000-student body, which is projected to double by 2003. President William E.

Last week's announcement that William Norlund plans to step down as president of Mission College leaves two of the San Fernando Valley's three community colleges in search of a new leader. Last November, the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees refused to renew Pierce College president Bing Inocencio's contract.

State finance officials rejected Mission College's new plan to acquire a satellite campus, but left open the possibility the school can retain a $4.7-million grant due to revert to the state Dec. 30. Mission President William Norlund said the state rejected the school's request Monday because it was too far removed from the original purpose of the grant, made in 1993, which was to complete the then 2-year-old campus.

Former Assemblyman Richard Katz cut the ceremonial red ribbon Thursday as local politicians and community supporters joined Mission College officials to celebrate the long-awaited opening of the Sylmar school's new $12-million Library and Learning Resources Center. "What you see behind me is our doorway to the future," Mission President William Norlund told about 200 people at the opening. "This facility is at the cutting edge of technology.

The newly appointed chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District said the search to find a permanent president for Mission College has reached its final stages. William Segura, who was hired in May to oversee the nine-campus, 95,000-student system, spoke Wednesday evening to members of the Mission College Community Advisory Council at a reception on the Sylmar campus.