Two top college officials to depart

BARSTOW • Two familiar faces at Barstow Community College will soon be leaving campus.

Curt Mitchell, vice president of administrative services, and Mike Murrey, director of human resources, are both longtime members of the college community who made their departures official at the BCC Board of Trustees meeting this week.

Mitchell is resigning after almost 11 years at BCC. The longtime Barstow resident will be taking on a similar position at Riverside Community College’s new campus at Norco as vice president of business services. His final date at BCC is slated for Nov. 12. Mitchell will be replaced by Bill Orr, currently the chief financial officer at Riverside Community College’s Moreno Valley campus, according to BCC spokeswoman Maureen Stokes.

Murrey, who has been at BCC for over six years, plans to retire after leaving the college Dec. 31. The college has not yet found someone to take Murrey’s place and is currently interviewing candidates, Stokes said. The director position will likely be filled by an interim official, she noted.

For Mitchell, leaving the college campus will be more than just leaving a job. The 55-year-old attended BCC himself, graduating in 1972. He then went on to teach as an adjunct instructor for math and physical education. Mitchell has carefully overseen the financial health of BCC for over a decade, according to Stokes.

“He’s leaving us in a very good financial position,” she said. Mitchell said he’s grateful to have worked with BCC staff for many years. He’s also excited about moving on to a bigger school.

“It’s an opportunity to move to a larger college, a multi-campus college,” said Mitchell. The RCC Norco campus has approximately 11,000 students, he noted.

As director of human resources, Murrey has seen the college through three different presidents and says the college has “made strides” in growing, noting that student enrollment is at its highest ever. The 62-year-old plans to retire in Wisconsin where his daughter and grandchildren live.

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