Raghu P. Mathur, Ed. D., was appointed Chancellor of the South Orange County Community College District in February 2002. 

Since becoming Chancellor, Dr. Mathur has led the launch of a third campus, the Advanced Technology & Education Park (ATEP), and guided the District through construction and renovation initiatives at the highest level in district history since the first building phase of Saddleback College over 40 years ago. Under his leadership, online courses have increased more than 200% and over $40 million has been invested in technology initiatives for students.  Enrollment is also at its highest level in District history with a total headcount exceeding 40,000 students. One of his hallmarks is sound fiscal management as evidenced by the fact that the District is one of the first in California to fully fund its retiree liability. 

Chancellor Mathur has dedicated his professional career to the South Orange County Community College District since 1976.  He spent more than two decades on the faculty of Irvine Valley College as a chemistry professor, chair of the school of physical sciences and technologies and academic senate leader, before ultimately becoming the college president in 1997.

Chancellor Mathur has a critical responsibility of representing the District as an educational leader.  At the national level, he served on the American Association of Community Colleges Commission on Research, Technology and Emerging Trends. At the state level, he was appointed by the State Chancellor's Office to the Technology and Telecommunications Advisory Council. At the regional level, he is a member of the Orange County Workforce Investment Board and Orange County Treasury Oversight Committee. He was appointed for two years in a row to serve as Chair of the Orange County Business Council's Community College Working Group.  Dr. Mathur serves as an Advisory Board Member for the School of Education at Argosy University where he also teaches courses in educational leadership and management to doctoral students.  Elected to the Board of Trustees at Saddleback Valley Unified School District for nine years, Chancellor Mathur served three times as board president.

Chancellor Mathur earned an associate's degree from Intermediate College in Banaras, India with a triple major in physics, chemistry and math and a bachelor's degree with honors from Banaras University with a triple major in chemistry, geology, and geography.  He earned a master's degree in chemistry from California State University, Fresno and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. His dissertation focused on distance education and the results influenced the expansion of programs at both Irvine Valley and Saddleback Colleges.

One of the highlights of Chancellor's Mathur's administrative career was the opportunity to study with other university presidents from across the United States and other countries at the Summer Institute for Educational Management (IEM) at Harvard University.  Upon invitation, he presented a paper on Educational Leadership in Higher Education at Oxford University in England. He was awarded a Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa) degree from Pacific States University for his outstanding contributions to higher education and for serving as a role model of success for international students. 

Chancellor Mathur and his wife, Karuna, live in Laguna Hills.  They have two grown sons.  Contact Chancellor Mathur at: rmathur@socccd.edu.

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