Faculty hiring at El Camino College has gone up more last year, than in the previous three years.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Carlos Lopez said among 42 faculty positions that are currently open at El Camino, 25 full-time tenured track positions and four one-year temporary positions were just approved last fall by El Camino President Brenda Thames.
The decrease in full-time faculty during the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent increase of students returning to on-campus classes created a need for more employment.
“The state of California provided [El Camino] with additional funds to hire specifically full-time faculty,” Lopez said.
The employee hiring process begins every fall with each division explaining their needs and a requested set amount of employees. Thames then hires the necessary employees for each division based on their requests.
As reported by The Union the number of tenure faculty has decreased over the past three years. There were 333 tenure employees in 2020, 320 in 2021 and 314 in 2022.
Adding the number of new hires from this year to the year prior shows there are now 339 holding employees, more than in the last three years.
English professor Jocelyn Shaw started working full-time this fall semester. She originally began working at El Camino in 2016.
After Shaw visited the campus for the first time she knew El Camino was the right place for her.
“From the moment I stepped on the campus, I felt I wanted to be here,” Shaw said. “I felt an energy and the diversity of students, I saw how people interacted and their welcoming nature.”
Now a full-time professor, Shaw looks forward to building deeper relationships with students and becoming more available to them.
New English professor Michael Reyes, 31, graduated from El Camino in 2012. He decided to become a teacher after being inspired by his English professor, Jason Bostick.
Reyes, who previously taught at California Lutheran University, was amazed by how much El Camino has changed since he graduated.
“I wanted to be a part of this new growth that is happening on campus,” Reyes said. “I’m trying to figure out how to be the best I can be.”
Assistant professor of digital art, Arnold Martin, said he found the position attractive due to the diverse classes offered at El Camino.
“I have a wide range of students in terms of age and skills,” Martin said. “We can do 3D modeling and animation stuff at a really high level.”
Assistant professor of computer science, Mitch Middler, said he started teaching in 2018 at Redondo Union High School.
“I’ve already seen some of my old students [here at El Camino] and that is so cool,” Middler said.
While teaching at Redondo Union, he was hired as a part-time professor by El Camino. He became a full-time professor this semester.
Middler said students in college tend to be more motivated and he is happy to be a factor in helping them succeed.
“The most satisfying and enjoyable [thing] for me as a teacher is when someone comes by the first path and they try it and find something they like or enjoy,” Middler said. “They [want to] learn more about it and potentially have a career.”
