Murillo intends to increase LTCC’s presence in community, state

By Kathryn Reed

No tuition, manual typewriters, and classes in a motel – that was then. Computers in nearly every classroom, multiple buildings on a real campus, and a fee for all of that – this is now.

A video showcasing Lake Tahoe Community College from 1974-2011 was part of the Sept. 15 inauguration of the two-year institution’s fourth president, Kindred Murillo.

LTCC President Kindred Murillo is ready to make the college a leader. Photo/Kathryn Reed

“With Dr. Kindred Murillo, we are filled with hope,” LTCC board President Fritz Wenck told those gathered in Duke Theatre.

Jim Duke, who the theater is named after and the college’s first president, spoke, as did his successor, Guy Lease. Paul Killpatrick, the school’s third leader, was not in attendance.

Murillo acknowledged the large shoes she has to fill, but said she is up to the commitment. She has been at the helm since July. Fall quarter begins Monday.

“We need to honor our past to move forward,” Murillo said. “The community is ready to move forward and they want us to be a leader.”

She said each decision she makes is done so with first asking how it will impact students. She also assured the group of mostly college employees that she did not take the job as a steppingstone to be president of a larger college.

Murillo’s intent is to make LTCC the college of choice in California.