Another View: Dr. Kevin Ramirez remembered

Dr. Kevin Ramirez, Sierra College's former president and district superintendent during the college's extraordinary growth, died recently of cancer. He was a highly intelligent, energetic and optimistic person with uncompromising integrity and a shatterproof commitment to providing the best possible education to students of all ages from all walks of life. Kevin was a rising star in community college circles when he resigned in 2015. He had been the president of California's organization of community college chief executives and a trailblazer in statewide academic initiatives. Under his leadership, Sierra College became California's top issuer of AA degrees and ranked 13th highest nationally; a modern math and technology building and a sports stadium were constructed on the Rocklin campus; new campuses were opened in Nevada County and the Tahoe-Truckee area, and enrollment more than tripled. And he was a close friend. To those who worked for him, Kevin was more of a coach than a boss. During his frequent campus meanderings, he would engage everyone from landscapers to professors in conversations about their jobs, their personal lives, or whatever else was on their minds. He knew almost everyone's name and family circumstances. "He was committed to creating a faculty that functioned like a family," said Morgan Lynn, his longtime friend who briefly replaced him until a new president could be hired. Kevin had strong feelings about integrity and fairness, and he frequently acted on those feelings regardless of consequences. He once denied a request from Congressman John Doolittle to speak at a college dedication ceremony because the congressman wasn't involved in the facility's funding or construction. It wouldn't have been fair to those deserving the limelight to be upstaged by a congressman's participation, he explained years later. He believed that everyone has something to teach and something to learn. Those were the values that fueled his vision of a campus operating collaboratively from top to bottom as much as possible. In his view, sharing information yielded collaborative solutions. Through monthly management meetings, annual retreats and daily reminders, he made the Sierra College Collaboration Project (SCCP) so central to the campus culture that SCCP became a verb as in, "We SCCPed our way through negotiations." "Kevin was a great communicator and an eternal optimist who always looked at challenges as opportunities for learning and improvements," said Sue Michaels, the college's retired marketing and public relations manager. His former executive assistant, Adele Hamlett, fondly remembers his high energy and robust laugh that she says often reverberated throughout the executive offices. "Oh, that laugh!" Adele recalled. "His staff and most everyone who worked in the administrative building knew when something had tickled his funny bone." She said multiple overnight telephone messages from him often awaited her arrival at work, with additional questions or instructions during the day. "I don't know if Kevin ever slept but I know he kept us all hopping with his ideas, projects and goals for the district," Adele said. He embraced the value of active listening as a vital learning tool. One of his favorite sayings was, "The Lord gave you two ears and one mouth and it's best to use them proportionally." He became a top administrator and education business executive, but above all, Kevin at heart was a teacher and, to him, life itself was a continuous teachable moment. Six years after he resigned, trustees dedicated the Kevin M. Ramirez Math and Technology Center. "Kevin represents the heart and soul of Sierra College," said Dr. Leo Chavez, who replaced him. "Sierra is a special place and much of that has to do with his great leadership." In time, Kevin received many accolades, including the Association of Community College Administrators' oldest and most prestigious Harry Buttimer Award, given in recognition of integrity, principle, compassion, strength in leadership, and contributions to education and the community. He was almost always upbeat and happy, and when he smiled, his entire face radiated friendliness. "He embodied the idea that there is no way to happiness, because happiness is the way," said Kristen, one of his six children. "For Kevin, it was always the journey and never the destination." Kent Pollock was Sierra College's part-time teacher of the year in 2003 during his time as a journalism instructor. He is the retired editor of the Anchorage Daily News and the retired assistant managing editor of The Sacramento Bee.