In August, Santa Barbara lost one of its most dynamic community leaders: Dr. Peter MacDougall. Commentaries in the media paid tribute to Peter’s many achievements at Santa Barbara City College and the community at large.

I served with Peter as Vice President of Academic Affairs and Adult Education for 15 years, gaining a close understanding of what made him such an outstanding leader.

Peter came to Santa Barbara in 1981 to serve as superintendent/president of SBCC. He led the college for 21 years, which is itself an amazing achievement. The average tenure of a community college president in California is 3.5 years! People would sometimes ask Peter, “Twenty-one years. How did you do it?” Peter would reply with a smile, “I have a seven-member board, and I know how to count to four.”

The SBCC Board of Trustee’s decision to hire Peter was a surprise to many. He was a respected student services administrator in the Los Angeles Community College District, but he had never been president of a college. It did not take long for all to recognize that the board had made an excellent decision.

Once settled into his new position, Peter worked tirelessly to familiarize himself with college programs, faculty, staff, and students. He reached out to the community to learn more about their needs and perceptions of the college. He seemed to be everywhere, seeking input, but also making sure everyone knew how important SBCC was to the community. He was always on message: SBCC is an excellent college!

Before Peter arrived, the college was recognized as a very good community college. Under Peter’s outstanding leadership, SBCC was transformed into an outstanding college, receiving state and national recognition as one of the best. He led the way, working collaboratively with faculty, staff, and the board to achieve excellence.

Peter was a passionate believer in community colleges and all they offer to students — transfer programs, career tech programs, Adult Ed. They were all core to the mission of the college. He believed that everyone who worked at SBCC was there for one purpose: To offer the best educational experience possible for students.

Peter knew that to be an outstanding college, we had to hire outstanding faculty to deliver our classes and programs. He was deeply involved in the hiring of every full-time professor and counselor. He often commented that hiring the highest-quality faculty was the most important decision for the college.

Peter was never content with mediocrity. He would often say, “We may not be the best in all we do at SBCC, but we must never just accept that.” We had to work constantly toward excellence in all we offered.

Peter inspired and supported innovation: Semester Study Abroad programs, Global Studies, the Honors Program, the Care Program for single parents returning to school, and Media Arts are just a few of the many exceptional efforts that flourished under Peter’s leadership and his enthusiastic support for innovation.

I remember in the mid-1980s going to Peter with two faculty members, Jeannette Webber and Joan Grumman, to propose the first semester study abroad program for SBCC students. It was a proposal to offer 40 students the opportunity to study in Cambridge, England. Our argument was that universities traditionally offered these experiences for students, and that community college students should have the same opportunity. Peter listened, asked questions, and said, “Do it.” From that first program, SBCC continues to offer study opportunities all over the world and has received national recognition for its programs.

An important and powerful innovation initiated and strongly advocated by Peter is the Foundation for Santa Barbara City College. Working with the board and influential and generous community members, Peter created an organization that has raised millions of dollars to support students and programs. He repeatedly referred to the foundation as providing the “Margin of Excellence” for SBCC.

Peter understood the importance of establishing a spirit of cooperation and collaboration with the community. He encouraged us to seek partnerships with groups and individuals to explore better ways of serving students. Out of this spirit came such programs as the Guaranteed Enrollment program with UCSB, the Dual Enrollment and Middle College programs with high schools, the Scheinfeld Business Center at Adult Ed, the construction workers program offered in partnership with high schools, and enrichment innovations for our nursing students through Cottage Health, to name a few.

When tensions sometimes arose over issues, Peter always treated people fairly and with respect. He listened, considered different points of view, and articulated his perspectives openly and clearly. He also knew, however, that sometimes he had to make decisions that might not be popular.

Faculty and staff appreciated Peter’s caring and commitment to working together. Everyone knew that he cared deeply about students and those of us who worked so hard to meet students’ needs. We never took Peter’s commitment, good nature, quick wit, charisma, and hearty laugh for granted.

Peter gave so much of himself for our community. We are all fortunate to have had such a good person and strong leader who deeply cared about our community and Santa Barbara City College.