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Students walk through the L Buildings halls on a daily basis, applying for financial aid, waiting in line to talk to counselors, or even requesting a transcript but they rarely pay attention to the small office in the northwest corner of the building.Within the office, Stuart Wilcox spends his days as the interim vice president of student and learning service-a job that is multi-faceted and yet very familiar to Wilcox thanks to his vast experience at PCC.

Wilcox began his education career as a student at PCC and within a year he had transferred to the University of Redlands where he attained his bachelor’s degree in psychology.

After receiving his master’s degree in physiological psychology from CSU Los Angeles, he continued on for a Ph.D in educational psychology from the University of Southern California.

Wilcox then went to work within the Los Angeles community college district, working at LA Harbor but the commute was always a daunting one. When a job opened up at PCC, he was eager to return.

“It was like coming home. There’s a comfort level here,” said Wilcox.

The comfort level proved very important; Wilcox has remained at PCC for 21 years. Over the years he has held a wide range of roles from evening counselor to associate dean of admissions and records until 2001.

He then became the dean of institutional planning and research where he remained until Lisa Sugimoto was appointed interim president and her former position became vacant.

“It helps that I’m new in the position but familiar in the area and within the college,” Wilcox said.

For Wilcox, student and learning services is comprised of a mixture of different components. There is the data driven aspect; financial aid, registration, and admissions. Then there are the people oriented EOPS and Psychological Services.

Both aspects are very familiar to him thanks to his experience in data analyzing and counseling. That knowledge allows him to find a balance between the two often-contrasting priorities.

“I try to be both sides of the coin, yin and yang,” Wilcox said.

His goal for student and learning services is to return it to President Lisa Sugimoto in as good or better condition as when he received it. Part of this goal is the creation of five focus areas that are key to student and learning services.

The first priority is getting students in to the college and matched to their classes through registration, admissions and counselors. Secondly, the goal is to offer support for students through tutoring. Third, the focus is on providing services so that students will stay in school with the assistance of financial aid and disabled student services, Wilcox said.

The fourth area targets the students engagement on campus and hopes to enrich student experience by providing clubs and services like the Puente program. The last priority is to help students exit college successfully via the transfer center, certificate programs, or graduation from PCC.

“As a cluster of offices, it’s important to realize we all share those five focuses,” said Wilcox.

Wilcox continues to focus on how he can improve the student and learning services using his extensive knowledge.

“You see things fresh when you’ve been gone eight years but there is still a familiarity,” he said.

His familiarity is helped by his own children’s experience at PCC, where they, like their father, started their education and then transferred. His daughter went on to UC Santa Cruz and now works within the Boys and Girls Club. His son transferred to UC Berkeley where he graduated, and is now going through law school at Pepperdine University.

His advice for students to achieve success is to accomplish what they can do today instead of putting it off.

“Whether it be studying, registering for classes, even buying books. Don’t procrastinate!

Stuart Wilcox turns his focus to five key factors of student and learning services. (Brian Warouw)

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