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Surrounded by friends, family, students, faculty, administrators, elected officials, college presidents and members of the Los Angeles Community College District Board of Trustees, Darroch “Rocky” Young was inaugurated Chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District. The event was held November 1, 2005 at Los Angeles Valley College. Mr. Young was selected Chancellor on July 1, 2005, after serving 18 months as the District’s Senior Vice Chancellor and five years as President of Pierce College.

Before outlining his priorities for the future, Chancellor Young was praised by Board of Trustees President Sylvia Scott-Hayes, County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Los Angeles City Councilmember Dennis Zine and President Los Angeles College Faculty Guild Carl Friedlander, Chancellor Young outlined his priorities for the future.

“We need to increase our enrollment by 25% over the next five years;” said Young, “increase student persistence and find more ways to improve student success; reverse the decline of male participation in secondary education; partner with LAUSD to engage the 90,000 people between the ages of 16-24 who are neither working nor going to school; become the leader in workforce training in the county of Los Angeles and increase the number of students we transfer to four-year institutions while continuing to have out students outperform the native students at four year universities.”

Chancellor Young called on to each give their best effort. “Education is a calling, “ said Young. “We are lucky because what we don every day in our jobs matters. Great institutions are not defined by buildings and budgets but are instead determined by the relationship between the students and the institution- which is defined at a person-to-person level.”

The inauguration featured artists and student entertainers from each of the nine colleges, including a symphony orchestra from Pierce College; a jazz ensemble and a dance group from East Los Angeles College; gospel singers from Los Angeles Southwest College; cheerleaders and Reggie the Alligator from Los Angeles Harbor College; multi-ethnic dancers from Los Angeles City College; fashion models from Los Angeles Trade Technical College; culinary selections from Los Angeles Mission College and Los Angeles Trade Technical College; the President of West Los Angeles College singing “America the Beautiful” and student greeters and representatives from Los Angeles Valley College.