GROSSMONT COLLEGE WELCOMES LORENZE LEGASPI AS NEWEST VP

Source:  Grossmont-Cuyamaca College news release

August 12, 2016 (El Cajon) - As Grossmont College’s senior leader in Administrative Services, Lorenze Legaspi’s job is to oversee the business end of operations at East County’s oldest community college. But the Bay Area native points out that beyond fiscal management and budgeting, the bottom line is serving students and ensuring that decisions are made with their success uppermost in mind.

“I am an educator first – an educator who happens to be good with numbers and who understands the important role of budget and finance in student success,” said Legaspi, whose name is pronounced LOR-enz Le-GAS-pi.

Legaspi started as vice president of Administrative Services in early July, and oversees a wide array of departments from business services and printing to facilities maintenance and grounds. He holds a bachelor’s in finance from California State University, Long Beach, a master’s in education from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, and a certificate in community college leadership from Claremont Graduate University.

“Our college is excited to have Lorenze join our extraordinary team of administrators, faculty and staff,” said Nabil Abu-Ghazaleh, president of Grossmont College. “He possesses a strong skill set in higher education budgeting and planning, and superior interpersonal and leadership qualities that will serve our institution well in the coming years.”

With the exception of a part-time stint working for Keenan and Associates in college, Legaspi’s professional career has been directly in the community college system.

Before coming to Grossmont College, Legaspi worked as manager of Administrative Services at the School of Continuing Education (SCE) at North Orange County Community College District. During his time at SCE, Legaspi’s accomplishments included implementing processes that directly linked budget to planning and creating diverse enrollment management strategies.

Legaspi said it was the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District’s top-notch reputation statewide that first appealed to him. A visit to Grossmont a week before his job interview sealed the deal in his mind that it was the place for him.

“I parked in Lot 4 and saw athletes setting up for competition in the sand volleyball courts,” he said. “I went up to them and told them, ‘I’m going to be interviewing for a job here – what’s this school like?’ They said they loved it and they seemed as excited about the academic programs here as they were for the athletic program. I walked through the campus and really liked it from the start – it felt right for me.”

Legaspi relocated to Little Italy, which he likes for its proximity to downtown and good places to eat. He earned the Introductory Sommelier Certificate through the Court of Master Sommeliers, so he knows a thing or two about fine wine and dining. For now, Legaspi’s short-term goal is to get acquainted with co-workers and to familiarize himself with the campus culture.

“It’s been a fun month so far – everyone at the college has been so welcoming and the feeling that I got from my first visit here is that this is the right place to be has only grown stronger and I look forward to adding value to the position and continuing the good work of the college and district,” he said.