SEEMS THERE IS MORE TO THIS STORY,ONLY IN OCEAN COUNTY.

One quick correction, I started as Planetarium Director November 5, 2001.

It would be a shame to leave this program without a director. I work in a school for children with special needs and we have visited the planetarium on several occassions. It is a great eductaional experience for students of all ages and levels .
Board of Trustees, please reconsider!!!

There is more politics in small colleges than in Washington, DC.

With tuition costs and book costs I do not see why this is a financial issue. The Planetarium is the staple of what makes the college unique. Removing the Directors position will only cause the facility to loose the focus it needs to be maintained and operated. The college is turning more and more into a corporate model instead of an educational model. Very sad. I hope they reconsider and keep the Directors position.

This is part of a letter that I sent to the College President:

I am deeply troubled by what I have heard as far as the reorganization of the Novins planetarium. I am under the understanding that the planetarium will be run by “an advisory board of experts”. I am a 40 year veteran in the Planetarium field, and I can tell you that without a doubt, the only way to manage a planetarium if you want any kind of success, is by having a planetarium director. The Novins is lucky to have Gloria as its planetarium director, and no so called “expert advisory board” will equal her knowledge of Astronomy and the planetarium field. You already have an expert in the current Planetarium Director. You mentioned that this advisory board will “not be making decisions in ignorance”. Isn’t getting rid of a seasoned Astronomy and Planetarium professional, acting in ignorance? Planetariums are successful institutions because of the Directors and their staff who run them, and not because of advisory boards that don’t understand the daily operations of a facility as unique as a planetarium. Issues pop up several times a day, and no expert advisory board will know how to handle any of them on a moment’s notice like a planetarium director can. Nor will they be available to try to. Please leave Gloria in the Director’s position so that the Novins will continue to progress forward in the field of educating school children and the general public about the wonders of Astronomy.

$76,174 per year sounds very reasonable for a directors salary. Astronomy presents an opportunity to teach math and physics, more useful subjects than fluff courses with no practical applications.

This is ridiculous...how about removing some of the Administrative positions that actually bring NOTHING to the college, unlike the Planetarium that brings a great and enjoyable learning experience to people of all ages!!

Almost looks like Ms. Villalobos P.O.'d Jon Boy in some maner.

So there will be a "credentialed planetarium leader" but not Gloria. What they don't realize is that the planetarium field is a close knit group, and I highly doubt that anyone in the planetarium field will apply for a position to take the place of one of our own who was terminated for no good reason. As a side note, the President of OCC stood up before 80 planetarium professionals in May and made a speech congratulating Gloria for saving the planetarium and bragged about the wonderful job that she is doing.

Todays Absury Park Press has an article which states that OCC will receive $200,000 from the "12-12-12:Concert for Sandy Relief". Just wondering how much of this will be skimmed by OCC's President and the Board of Trustees for administrative fees..Will there be any sort of accountability as to where this money goes??

I won't miss her. I sent her an email giving her some fresh new ideas to bring in the people. Things they do at the Griffith Observatory and she dissed me off. I don't see Griffith starving and it's always busy there.

ADIOS Gloria, good riddance. Hope they replace her with someone who will do the job!!!

If the planetarium can be run by a committee then why not the college? The Board of Trustees made President Larson the highest paid county college president in the state - $224,422 per year. Eliminate the position of President and let the college be run by the board, the Executive Vice Presidents and Vice Presidents.

Financial problems solved!

@Gloria Villalobos

I wrote you the email well over a year ago. I was telling you about my visits to Griffith and Hayden and how they are crowded. The laser light show with rock music and how boring your presentations were. You did respond with a "thank you". You could've made it so much better over there and made it a huge income generator but you did nothing with my suggestions. If you thought your job was secure with stale shows I guess you were wrong. I sincerely hope the board goes in a different direction then your stale direction and the planetarium flousishes!!!!

To "I have spoken": You obviously don't know what you are talking about. I have known Gloria for more than two decades as I have spent 40 years in the Planetarium field. I have seen her presentations in all planetariums she has worked in, including Novins and they are always top notch. Planetarium directors cannot ALWAYS take suggestions and put them into actions. If you knew anything about how a planetarium runs, you would know that. The President of OCC and the trustees have made a stupid mistake by getting rid of Gloria and everyone in the planetarium field knows that. All except you. And how come you are not "man enough" to put your name on your e-mail. Obviously you don't want the public to see your lack of knowledge!

JNN...I was training under Gloria to become a Part Time operator at the Planetarium.
Gloria was congenial, understanding and patient with me. However My Schedule was not condusive to the position.

I hold a Masters in TV/RADIO Production, communications.
HAVE WORKED OVER THE LAST 30 YEARS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT iNDUSTRY. Gloria , in my opinion, is a most professional astute and creative person as I have ever worked with.

I wish her good luck in her future endeavors. I will always remember her as a loyal
and concerned advocate of the Planetarium, and the staff under her charge!

Time will tell as to why her contract was not renewed. I do believe that it is a good reason why the BOT did not extend her contract. Not having her come back is in the best interest of the college.

The Ocean County College Board of Trustees is a joke.

Gloria has been a professional colleague of mine. While I am now retired from the planetarium field for years, I remember her and her battle when the planetarium was scheduled to be undone. I remember her ability to marshal forces that exerted force, and how she found the funding necessary to not only keep the planetarium open but to see that it was refurbished and opened with a new projector and a new life. If I had any suspicion it would be that this was a move directed against Gloria. Perhaps she (unintentionally) stepped on some toes when she demonstrated that it was possible to go around a board's decision, find funding, and keep an institution that brings good will to the college and the community operating. Administrators don't like it when their decisions are undone by underlings. It's too bad for the community, and I hope that Gloria finds a better place that will understand what creativity, determination and moxie are all about. What a shame that an institution should be run by such a narrow, petty board. But then, isn't that the way so many institutions are run?

We in the planetarium field find that we often come up short on many things such as money, time, help and resources. However, there is something that is always in plentiful supply: someone who knows nothing about how a planetarium operates who thinks they know better how to make it run than the seasoned professionals who are striving day by day to make our planetariums better.

To no small extent, it's our own fault. We spend so many late hours and missed weekends to make the operation look effortless that people assume it is effortless. So a board, director or manager will get the impression that just anyone can do it. And they'll try it then we read of yet another planetarium closed down.

I've seen this reflected in situations like Gloria's and in more and more institutions offering pittance wages for skilled professionals.

As for our armchair quarterback who's been commenting on Gloria's abilities as a planetarian, until you've put in your time under the dome and know the intricacies of balancing education and entertainment, you're just a spectator. I, for one, find laser rock shows to be boring so I guess that's all in the eye of the beholder.

Can't they just eliminate one of the many "administrator" positions that pay between 80 and 100,000/year? That would be a good start.

"Save The Director ".... S.T.D.

PNB that would be the right thing but that doesn't take care of friends and family.

Joe is correct. If you want to be herded into a planetarium and herded out again like cattle going to slaughter, with no public interaction with any staff, then those big famous planetariums are for you. That's not the way that people like Gloria do things. As a planetarium director, she interacts with the public and her colleagues in the planetarium field. Unlike some directors in those big places who only care about THEIR image, Directors like Jim Craig, Stephen Berr, and myself have a combined, over 100 year experience in the Planetarium field and are successful because, like Gloria, we take the time to converse with the public, put in long hours, and just about live in our planetariums. Go ahead "I have spoken", and see if you will ever find the Director of that big planetarium actually in his facility actually talking to the public. You wont find him there because he is more concerned with his TV image than the public. I would rather have Gloria running my planetarium than someone who is just trying to make a name for THEMSELVES. So as Jim has said, until you actually work in the planetarium field like those of us who devote our lives to it, maybe the "armchair quarterback" hiding behind the "I have spoken" name, should keep quiet, as he, or she, has no clue as to what they are talking about.

You have to wonder what OCC has up its sleeve. "Appropriately credentialed planetarium leaders" have to be few and far between and it seems we already have a good one at the helm of the place. Why get rid of her? I think someone hit the nail on the head, she must have PO'd Larson. Probably by getting th e place rebuilt when he wanted to shut it down.

To sms23. You are correct. "Appropriately credentialed planetarium leaders" are VERY few and far between. Planetarium Leaders are a small group (which is why all over the country we know each other) of people who have a very unique set of skills. Each planetarium person must know planetarium methodology and technology. We have to know how to teach in the dark and teach and lecture WHILE we are operating scientific equipment, which in most cases can only be found in planetariums. We must know how to repair mechanical and electrical devices and trouble shoot daily problems with those devices. We need to be well versed in Astronomy, Earth Science, Meteorology and some physics and Chemistry. We planetarium folks also have many contacts at NASA. We also have to know about photography, sound recording, and be ready to talk to the media at a moments notice. How does one get all of this knowledge? Well lets see. Gloria has been in the field for 20 years, me for 40 years, and some of the other folks who have responded have been doing this for decades too. So lets see if the college can find someone with ALL of that kind of experience.

The BOT consulted a psychic and came to their decision because the psychic said "it is written in the stars."

I wouldn't doubt that in the least Fedup. Maybe that also qualifies the psychic for the planetarium job. I think we all know they won't want someone well qualified, just someone they can control.

"This man has poor taste in every decision he makes.... right down to his out dated Mr. Roper suits! He exploits others to TRY to make himself look decent... he's a blind fool! "

Couldn't agree more Xtina. Wasn't there an investigation started after Larson eliminated positions last year? One can only hope they're still uncovering information on him & his days there are numbered.

". . . the Board also confirms that, after July 1, 2013, the Planetarium will continue to be managed by an appropriately credentialed planetarium leader."

It's now been 3 months since Larson and the Board he has wrapped around his finger decided to get rid of their well-qualified Planetarium Director. There is no posting for a replacement position on the college employment site. March is almost over Dr. Larson, where is the "appropriately credentialed planetarium leader" that is to take over? Shouldn't they be looking to hire someone soon?

Much to her credit, even with the BS going on and the end of her job looming large, I've seen this dedicated woman continuing to work hard and be nothing but personable, and professional with the public. Her passion and enthusiasm for her work is unmistakeable. If she goes, it is a crying shame and our loss.

Hey, here's an idea! Why doesn't the "Patch" do a follow up story on this!? Get in touch with "King Jon" and the Trustees. Find out how their search for a "credentialed planetarium leader" is going. Find out what's REALLY going on at the Novins Planetarium. Seriously. Find out if there's any changes already taking place. It's already mid-March, so if the "update" after the Dec. trustees meeting is their true intent, they should already be preparing and in the process of hiring the "credentialed planetarium leader". It's already been stated that there is no job posting. Maybe they already found someone! Don't believe these posts on the web. Do a follow up story! This is a county college and a public facility that serves the entire region and all ages. Private and public money keeps this planetarium open, so it would be in the best interest of everyone for a follow up.