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Rodney Murray Appointed Dean of Vocational Education at Compton Center
Longtime teacher at college plans to expand program

By Cheryl Scott
Bulletin Staff Writer

“Vocational education has always been a mainstay at the college,” said Rodney Murray, Compton College’s new Dean of Vocational Education. “In my position . . . I’m looking forward to putting together a multipronged approach that will add new classes and serve the business community as well.”

Murray was recently appointed dean after teaching business courses for 14 years. He submitted an application for the position when it was posted for the third time. “They’ve tried to fill it three times,” Murray said. “When I saw it was still open, I decided to go for it.”

Since the reorganization of the college as the El Camino Compton Center, the vocational program has been in transition as well.

“We have several things that need to be done right away,” he said. “First we have to make sure our current certification programs are up and running. We also need to strengthen our community outreach and recruiting in our feeder schools. Finally, we need to find emerging technology and incorporate it into our program. It’s a lot to do, but it’s very exciting, and I’m looking forward to re-energizing our vocational program.”

An advisory board representing industry in the community is being formed to help the college add new courses that will lead to jobs that will provide a livable salary.

“You don’t just want to get a job,” Murray said. “You want to get a job that will pay well enough for you to live on and provide opportunities for advancement. So we’re going out to industry and asking what they need in the way of new employees. Then we can provide training for the community-at-large that will fill the needs of business, helping to provide economic stimulus in Compton.”

The city of Compton has been using a “rebirth” strategy to bring in more retail and residential development, which has resulted in unprecedented growth.

“What the college will be doing as part of that strategy is finding out about new technology that offers well paid positions to properly trained workers,” he said. “For instance, robotics is an exciting new field with work available for technicians trained in the field. Not only is this an area that is opening up and expanding right now, but it is a field in which someone with entry-level training will be exposed to technological opportunities that require more education and training. Someone working in assembly may enjoy the technology and decide to go back to school to become an engineer.”

The college is also focusing on the “green” industry.

“We are making sure our vocational program meets needs in that field,” Murray said. “There are lots of new products that help people to be more environmentally responsible. It’s a field that is growing rapidly, so if we can offer the right programs, it can lead to well paid jobs that will only get more available in the upcoming years.”

The college has also started up its emergency medical technician program again, with two classes already filled. The program was stopped for a time because of strict health and safety requirements it was not meeting.

“We’ve got that under control now,” said Murray. “This is another field in which specialized training is offered beyond basic certification, so we plan to add more courses in the near future.”

Murray says the last few troubled years at the college are “water under the bridge.” Three years into the relationship with El Camino Community College, the center is focusing on laying the foundation for its reaccreditation.

“Our vocational education program is aiming at readiness for accreditation in two years,” he said. “We’re part of the whole picture. We’re just one part that’ll help us get there.”

According to reports from both El Camino College and the Compton Community College District, reaccreditation is going to be a long process and could take as long as 10 years. But the college has to start somewhere, and working toward getting each department ready in less time is an effective strategy.

“We are thinking big,” Murray said. “But we have great confidence we can get it done. We’re going to use everything we have to achieve our goal of expanding the vocational education program. We’re going to partner with the business community to provide both soft and hard skills that are needed. We will provide training for all those skills here. We have a great team and we’re all focused on this effort.”

“We have every confidence in Professor Murray,” said Lawrence Cox, the newly appointed provost of the college. “We are certain the new energy and insight he will bring to the position of dean will serve the college very well. We’re confident he will be very successful in his efforts.”