In our modern World the role of college professionals is often a strange one, which juxtaposes the need to provide a high quality education with the need to keep an academic institution as profitable as possible. Into this World has stepped Jonathan Veitch as the President of Occidental College, an academic institution that seemed to be heading for a future as a large, faceless organization until the arrival of Veitch. The news that President Barrack Obama had studied at the college for two years led to an increase in applications and the decision to expand the school, seemingly without regard for the thoughts of the local community.
Despite being one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the US, the relationship between Occidental College and the local community of Eagle Rock has often been a strained one. Prior to the arrival of Jonathan Veitch as President of the institution the relationship had often been a difficult one with Occidental announcing a controversial expansion plan that would see a large number of new buildings built in a prominent position overlooking the community. The plans were already in place when Veitch stepped into the role of President and almost immediately shelved the plans indefinitely.
The bold move to shelve the expansion plans began the process of building a closer relationship with the local community, who could easily have been pushed out of Occidental College had the expansion continued as planned. The announcement that President Obama had attended Occidental made it one of the top academic institutions in the US for applications from within the country and abroad almost overnight. Huge profits could have been made had the expansion plans continued, but the decision to shelve them made by Veitch brought the community of Eagle Rock back into the Occidental fold.
Veitch has worked hard to rebuild the liberal feel of the college, going so far as bringing back former students to assist in planning the traffic flow around the campus and in the local community to ease the worries of local residents. He has also been instrumental in developing a number of strategies and programs designed to help the Eagle Rock community, including meals and educational opportunities for students in school within the community to assist in their educational and physical development.