El Camino Arts Director Resigns

El Camino College administrator Philip Westin, who heads the college’s financially beleaguered performing arts program, has resigned to become vice president for instruction at Golden West College in Huntington Beach.

Westin, 46, who is dean of fine arts and executive director of the South Bay Center for the Arts, will leave the Torrance campus at the end of the month. His new job will pay $80,000 a year, which is comparable to his El Camino salary.

Westin, who came to El Camino in 1985, said the reduction of next season’s arts program because of $3 million in college budget cuts was not a factor in his resignation.

“It’s a major career move for me,” he said. “My end goal is to be a college president somewhere within eight to 10 years.” At Golden West, Westin will be in charge of all academic and vocational departments.

Last season, El Camino College gave 116 performances under arts center auspices, including professional attractions and college groups. Next season, the total is expected to be 75 to 80. The sharpest cuts will be in classical music, dance, jazz and theater, which fail to draw audiences large enough to cover booking fees.