The Margaret Levinson College Leadership Award is presented to a member of the college faculty or administration who have served more than ten years demonstrating a high quality of leadership, service and achievement in student services, instructional program or department, college governance, college management or administration or statewide and/or national organizations.
This year’s recipient of this award is Kathy Rosellini, a counselor here at Bakersfield College.
Kathy has been at Bakersfield College since 1973. Since then she has seen many changes and has watched BC grow. In the early years, she was in charge of the dormitories, where her goal was to create a premiere community college residence hall program by making sure each student who chose to live on campus was provided with a great college experience. After ten years, college administration decided that the dormitories were no longer wanted, and Kathy helped close down the residence hall program. Between 1983 and 1996, she served as the director of student affairs. She was then reassigned to counseling and has been there ever since, serving as both division and department chair while the department was undergoing restructuring.
She also worked with Dr. David Rosales to strengthen the student government and student activities programs by increasing the number of clubs and rallying students into becoming more involved in student activities.
Her first reaction upon hearing she had received the award was shock.
“I think faculty view this as a prestigious award, and there are many deserving faculty on our campus,” said Kathy.
She was nominated by her counseling colleagues “for her effective and tireless leadership in student services, instruction, the faculty union, the Academic Senate and to the students of Bakersfield College.”
Kathy lives by the philosophy of treating others the way one would like to be treated. When asked what advice she would offer to colleagues, her response was “get involved.”
“It is only by everyone getting involved in committees or through leadership roles or other activities that Bakersfield College can become better,” she said.
Her words of wisdom for BC students is a quote from Paulo Coelho:
“The price of not following your dream is the same as paying for it.”