Dr. Tsang Gets His Feet Wet

By Ann K. Williams
Staff Writer

March 23 -- Dr. Chui L. Tsang had just been on the job for a week when appreciative Santa Monica College staff gave their new leader a longboard.

But Tsang’s surfing lessons had to be put on hold, as the incoming president dove into his first month on the job, getting to know the people and the issues that will drive his agenda.

His first order of business is “to get to know the situation... find out what the burning issues are” by listening to key players at the college and in the surrounding community, Tsang told The Lookout Friday during an interview in his spacious office on Pico Boulevard.

Tsang (in suit) poses with longboard given to him by SMC faculty.

Even before their jobs began, Tsang and new City Manager Lamont Ewell got in touch with each other, laying the basis for a good working relationship which promises to reduce the tensions that have sometimes flared between the City and the college in recent years.

“You know, I have so much hope on this,” said Tsang, who took over as the college’s president on February 27. Calling his and Ewell’s tenure “a new age,” Tsang said the two have gotten off to a good start and plan further meetings in the near future.

Referring to the past year’s conflicts, Tsang said, “We need to move beyond that and see how we can work together.”

And it’s probably no coincidence that one of Tsang’s first priorities is to address the parking and traffic issues that have pitted the college against neighborhood groups and the City as SMC expanded its campuses.

While he emphasized that the student population has actually gone down in recent years, Tsang acknowledged that the college has an obligation to mitigate the impact of commuting students on neighborhood traffic.

Tsang suggested a variety of tools, including studying traffic flow patterns, using shuttle lots and increasing “hybrid” courses which offer a mix of on-line and classroom instruction, keeping students connected to on-campus culture while minimizing traffic on neighborhood streets.

Beyond the search for a new shuttle lot, the only new real estate the college is looking at is in Malibu, Tsang said. He added that the City of Malibu has requested the campus, which will simultaneously make education more accessible for students in the outlying region and reduce traffic into Santa Monica.

Accessibility is a key to understanding Tsang’s administrative philosophy.

“We don’t turn people down,” he emphasized, calling SMC “a proud flagship” of the community college system.

“Santa Monica College has done so well for so many,” Tsang said, explaining that “access is the unique quality of community colleges... their greatest contribution.”

And when he started talking about the students themselves, Tsang’s eyes lit up and he became visibly animated.

“Every time you meet a student, you learn about why they’re here,” he said. “It’s really, really reaffirming, that we’re doing the right thing.

“Vibrancy, you walk on campus and you feel the energy there,” Tsang said. The students are engaged in learning, in “the social network,” he said. “That’s really what going to college is all about.”

And Tsang wants to immerse himself in that network. He plans to move his office some eight blocks west and onto the main Pico campus at 1900 Pico Boulevard. That should happen in six months when the new liberal arts building opens.

Apparently the students want him there, too. One student offered Tsang the use of his desk space, an offer that touched Tsang and impressed him with its practicality.

“He’s not only wanting me to do that, he’s coming up with a solution,” Tsang laughed. “That’s really the way to do it.”

Once Tsang is settled in the thick of things, the Hong Kong native will be able to realize his long-term vision, which includes expanding Santa Monica College’s role as a center of international education.

Located at “the crossroads of the Pacific Rim,” Tsang wants to prepare students to take part in the “fast developing economies” of the world. It should be a natural leap for a student body that’s already so diverse, so versed in a variety of cultures.

Such large-scale change will demand clear communication, something that Tsang, with a PhD in linguistics, appreciates.

“Communication is essential in an organization like this,” he said. If rumors are allowed to get out of control, the institution can be deluged by “a tidal wave of disinformation.”

Sometimes, it’s as simple as encouraging staff to “pick up the phone and call.” Tsang also plans to schedule regular meetings with campus and community leaders, something he’s already done.

On his off hours, Tsang is looking for a place to live, which has become more of a problem than he anticipated.

“I was shocked by the housing costs” in Santa Monica, said Tsang, who was tapped by the SMC Board after heading San Jose City College for nearly a decade.

Other than that, though, his first month has convinced him he’s in the right place.

“I was pleasantly impressed with the warmth of the welcome,” Tsang said, adding that he looks forward to “getting to know different parts of this lovely place.”

And he’s open to tips on local restaurants, he said, proudly brandishing his newly acquired Vito’s VIP discount card.