Sam Agdasi

From faculty leadership to college-wide academic administration, Sam Agdasi has built a career rooted in service, program development, and student opportunity. He brings over 25 years of experience in higher education, including more than 15 years in community colleges. During that time, he has served as a faculty member, program chair, dean, and senior academic administrator, including service at the vice president level. Sam Agdasi has focused on student success, transfer pathways, STEM fields, career technical education (CTE), and applied disciplines. He is known for helping academic programs remain aligned with transfer requirements and workforce needs while maintaining attention to institutional effectiveness and long-term student outcomes.

Sam currently serves as the Dean of Student Learning for the Business & Industrial Studies and Social Sciences Divisions at Compton College in Compton, California. In this position, he provides leadership for a wide range of academic and workforce programs, including business, industrial trades, and social sciences. His leadership emphasizes program quality, academic innovation, and student outcomes. He works closely with faculty and staff to strengthen instructional delivery and support an environment of continuous improvement across programs.

His current responsibilities include oversight of both strategic and operational functions. These areas include budget planning, curriculum development, program review, and faculty support. He also leads dual enrollment initiatives and helps build partnerships with K–12 districts, four-year institutions, and industry partners. These efforts are intended to expand student access and strengthen transfer and workforce pathways. Through collaboration and data-informed decision-making, he has contributed to program sustainability, enrollment stability, and stronger student success across multiple disciplines.

Before joining Compton College, Former Vice President Sam Agdasi held leadership positions at large community colleges in California and in the Midwest, including within a multi-campus system. In those roles, he managed multi-million-dollar budgets, supported institutional and programmatic accreditations, and helped expand instructional delivery through both traditional and online modalities. His background includes leading complex academic divisions and aligning educational offerings with transfer requirements and workforce priorities. He has also participated in strategic planning initiatives that connect academic programs with regional economic development goals.