El Camino is gearing up for a big change. The college is looking for a new head as current president Tom Fallo is set to retire after 20 years of service.

EC opened up the position earlier this year and invited people to apply for the important position. The president of the college is the key decision maker and holds a lot of power within the college structure.

As part of the search, the college will be hosting forums for the finalists during the week of Sept. 28. These forums are important for the college community.

The forums will be a place for students, faculty and community members to hear the candidates sell themselves to the college. It will also be a place for the community to ask vital questions of the candidates.

As part of the forum, the college community will be able to evaluate the finalists. This will be the applicants first impression to the community.

It’s important for community members, faculty and students to show up at the forums for this rare opportunity to be able to ask the next president of their college questions.

Another college, such as Cerritos College, which recently named a new president, hosted community forums for the candidates, which were live streamed and later posted on the college’s YouTube channel.

The open forums provide an open government feeling, instead of choosing the next president without any community involvement. Although it may be inconvenient for many to have a separate forum for each candidate, it’s necessary to have the forum for community engagement.

The Board of Trustees, presidential search committee and Community College Search Services made a good choice by deciding to hold community forums that allow the finalist to introduce themselves and answer the community’s concerns.