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Thee Collegian Th OPINION, PAGE 2
FEATURE, PAGE 5 FEATURE
Issue 5 • Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 •
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deltacollegian.net
Horton, Delta’s longest serving president, dies BY ARIANNA JUÁREZ Editor-in-Chief
GALT DREAM GONE
Delta College’s plans once included a campus at the northern county line, in November the board approved sale of the land BY JADA PORTILLO Opinion Editor
In 2006, the San Joaquin Delta Community College District Board of Trustees purchased approximately 141.88 acres of property in a rural part of Galt for $2 million. Sixteen years later, and the land is now being sold to the San Joaquin Council of Government (SJCOG) for a total of $1,342,557.50. The sale is largely due to the fact that the property was deemed not suitable for district use for environmental reasons. The board voted unanimously to sell the land to SJCOG during its Nov.15 meeting. Delta originally bought the land from a local farming group
back in 2006. The selling price is less than what Delta paid for the land, prompting board members to ask why the land wasn’t put on the open market. “We didn’t test the open market because of the limited land use availability for the property,” said W. Bryce Chastain, legal counsel representing Delta College in the sale. “There wasn’t going to be an opportunity for us to increase our profitability on sale by advertising. We would spend money for a broker, for advertising, for other different things that would be associated with the sale.” This north campus in Galt was long planned, but a Collegian article from April 2022
See GALT, page 8
The rural plot of land on Liberty Road in Galt that Delta is now selling. Environmental concerns halted development of the land. PHOTOS BY LEO LORENTZEN
Dr. Lilburn H. Horton, Delta College’s longest-tenured president who held the office from 1987 to 1999, passed away on Nov. 8th. He was 90 years old. Dr. Horton is the namesake for several buildings on campus, including the L.H. Horton Gallery, located in the Shima Building, as well as the Horton Administration Building. Horton is also widely remembered for opening the Hazel Hill Child Development Center under DR. L.H. HORTON his tenure. News of his passing was first reported to the campus community through a campus-wide press release. According to the press statement released by Delta, Horton’s accomplishments during his tenure at Delta include “advancing educational opportunities for minority students” as well as “raising the quality of faculty and staff.” Before Horton was superintendent/president at Delta College, he was president at another community college in Illinois called Kankakee Community College. An obituary written by Dr. Horton’s family detailed his long career in higher education even before becoming Delta’s superintendent/president. While at Kankakee Community College, the obituary states, Horton helped revitalize key infrastructure on campus. He is also credited with developing a “comprehensive plan for landscaping and tree planting” utilizing native Illinois vegetation in an effort to beautify the campus. Horton, or Burnie, as he was known to his loved ones, is also credited with fostering the arts during his tenure at Delta, by acquiring artwork and advancing the development of the college’s
See HORTON, page 8
Braden takes on lead instruction role BY SAADIQ AFZAL Sports Editor
Dr. Charles “Kale” Braden in his office. PHOTO BY SAADIQ AFZAL
Dr. Charles “Kale” Braden, former dean of Fine and Applied Arts at American River College, has been the vice president of Instruction at Delta College for two months as of Dec. 5. Braden was picked for the VPI position last month over Sam Agdasi, current dean of Technology and Health Division at Mt. San Antonio College in Los Angeles County, and Dr. Rojelio Vasquez, founder and CEO of HBI/RV Associates. “It was a long process getting here,” said Braden. “I first began to be aware that there might be an opening almost a year before the job became open, when Dr. Lisa Aguilera Lawrenson moved into the interim presidency position. At that point, I talked it over with my wife and we both decided that this would be a good move,
both in terms of where we wanted to be.” Braden has been in the community college system for a long time and he felt that Delta was the right choice. “I’ve been in the community college system for about 24 years now,” said Braden. “The reason why I wanted to be here at Delta is because the more I looked at Delta, the more I felt that Delta is the right size. While there has been some turmoil over the past two years when it comes to the administration and getting things up, the people that are here are so incredibly committed to this college and so incredibly committed to the students and so incredibly committed to this community. And, that’s what I wanted to be a part of.” Lawrenson has worked with Braden before.
See BRADEN, page 8
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