Laguna resident to leave college post

After six years of adding faculty and establishing new positions,

Laguna Beach resident Margaret Gratton will retire from her position as

Orange Coast College president at the end of the school year.

Gratton said she is leaving to pursue personal interests and other

professional goals. The district’s board of trustees will soon start the

search for her successor.

“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at Orange Coast College,” Gratton

said. “I’ve never loved an institution like I love OCC. I won’t forget

this place or its people.”

Gratton, 64, is the only woman to hold the post in the college’s

54-year history.

During her tenure, she hired 100 new faculty members and established

20 new full-time teaching positions.

“She’ll be very definitely missed,” said Walt Howald, president of

the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees. “She has been a

positive force for the college and has expended a great deal of energy,

especially to maintain OCC’s traditionally high faculty quality.”