The chairman of Portland Community College's board resigned from his elected position to protest what he called a political decision to classify the school a "sanctuary" for undocumented students.

Gene Pitts, who represented eastern Washington County and Southwest Portland on the board, submitted his resignation letter before Christmas, school officials confirmed Wednesday.

PCC, the state's largest post-secondary institution, had voted to adopt the sanctuary campus label at the urging of its student body, and with the support of first-year president Mark Mitsui.

The board held a special meeting Dec. 20 at its Sylvania campus to consider the largely symbolic gesture. PCC was just one of several Oregon colleges and universities - including Portland State, Oregon State, the University of Oregon, Linfield College, Lewis & Clark College and others - to publicly declare the schools would not help enforce federal immigration laws.

Pitts did not attend the meeting, according to vice-chair Kali Thorne-Ladd, and he had apparently already made up his mind on the issue.

"I have spoken to each of you, so it should not be a surprise that I was not aligned with the College's decision to deem itself a 'sanctuary college,'" Pitts wrote in his resignation letter sent on the same day as the special meeting.

Gene Pitts was PCC's board chair.

"As I've shared with you, I felt that the decision to use the term 'sanctuary college' politicizes the college, places risk on the backs of the 40+ percent of the college's students that receive Pell grant monies (and ultimately on the college's Federal funding), and alienates a percentage of voters as we approach the college's next bond campaign."

Willamette Week first reported Pitts' resignation.

Pitts did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The longtime Intel manager now works for Blount International Inc. as a manager of electrical engineering.

Thorne-Ladd is expected to step in as the board's chair.

"I have a lot of respect for Gene," she said in an interview. "He's had great service and dedication to the college, and I respect him for that. While we saw differently on this issue, I think his dedication to the college has been consistent."

Kate Chester, a PCC spokeswoman, said school did not release information about his resignation over the holidays because board members needed to discuss it. "They weren't all in town," she said. "Timing was challenging, as you can imagine."

The board will vote to appoint Pitts' replacement when it meets Jan. 19, but that person could be stepping in for just a few months.

Pitts, who was elected to four-year terms in 2009 and 2013, would've been up for re-election in May.



-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen