Educator Bill Bolde, who just retired after serving as principal of Saugus High School for 14 years, has been named Executive Director of Community Relations and Career Services at The Master’s University, effective Oct. 1.

In the newly created position, Bolde will head the university’s efforts to aid students in career development and job placement in the community and beyond.

“Since Bill has an incredible background in community relations in Santa Clarita, he’s the ideal person to enhance the university’s image in the community,” said John Stead, TMU’s senior vice president and provost. “That will include working in both the business and educational areas, in which he has deep roots and excellent expertise.”

Stead said creating this position and naming Bolde is part of the university’s major step forward in providing career services for students.

“One of the major changes in university life over the past decade has been parental concern for job placement after graduation,” Stead said.

“This has been brought about by the increasing cost of higher education,” he said. “So our goal is to have Mr. Bolde lead the university in a major expansion of its career services. This will involve student preparation while in attendance at the university, including internships and placement in organizations and businesses aligned with their career paths.”

“I’m excited about the opportunity that’s been extended to me by The Master’s University,” Bolde said. “I am honored and grateful that Dr. Stead and Dr. John McArthur are confident in the skill sets I bring, and for their believing in me and giving me a chance to do something that can create a more global awareness of the university. Those are fine men I think the world of, and I look forward to working with them, as much as with the university’s staff and students, and being part of The Master’s family.”

Bolde said he will approach his new responsibilities the same way he has as an educator for the past three decades-plus.

“I get up in the morning and come to work every day trying to figure out a way that I can invest in the lives of students,” he said. “What I’m doing is transitioning from the age set of 13-to-18-year-olds to 18-year-olds and up. So I’m dealing with different age levels, but I have the same purpose.”

Bolde said his new role “is all about trying to find ways to help the seniors as they are receiving their diploma and asking themselves, ‘What next? Where do I go from here?’ That’s where I come in. I want to try to plug seniors into the community through internships, job shadowing and job placements, to help them find ways to parlay what they’ve learned here into a meaningful career.”

Bolde earned his B.A. in physical education in 1980 and did post-graduate work in sports history and psychology at both from California State Univerity, Northridge. He had joined the William S. Hart Union High School District in 1975, working first as an equipment manager at Canyon High School, then as a district coach.

He earned his teaching credential in 1985, and his master’s in education in 2000. Three years later, Bolde was named principal at Saugus High.

At Saugus, Bolde was an effective, compassionate leader who earned the respect of students, teachers and staff, as well as parents and his peers in school administration. He was named “Secondary Principal of the Year” at the 30th Annual Association of California School Administrators Region XV Awards in April 2015.

Also an author, Bolde spoke about his book “Lead the Way” on SCVTV’s “Newsmaker of the Week” in January 2011.

After Bolde announced his retirement, the district named Vince Ferry, Rio Norte Junior High School principal, as the new Saugus High School principal on July 1, and Bolde aided Ferry in the transition between then and now.

“I spent 32 years at Saugus, 14 of them as principal,” said Bolde, who was honored by former colleagues, students, parents and community leaders at a huge retirement party at Saugus High Sept. 16. “I loved every minute of it.”