California’s system of 116 community colleges is closing in on the hiring of its new chancellor. Whoever takes the helm will immediately need to contend with declining enrollments, racial disparities in student outcomes and an uncertain fiscal future. And in a system of districts run by publicly elected boards, the chancellor has limited powers. The college system’s board of governors on Thursday began interviewing finalists for the position, which opened when Eloy Ortiz Oakley resigned last year to head a foundation. The interviews, happening in closed session, are scheduled to conclude Friday. The chancellor will join at a pivotal moment for the system. Enrollment across the system is down by about 18% since before the pandemic, with many adults choosing to work rather than attend college. To deal with that, a main priority of the next chancellor should be to find new strategies for promoting the colleges and convincing prospective students of the benefits and value of attending a community college, experts said. The system is also lagging behind many of its own goals for improving student outcomes, such as greatly increasing the number of students who transfer to four-year universities and closing achievement gaps between Black and Latino students and their white peers. At the same time, the state is facing a projected $24 billion deficit, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. And although Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget proposal didn’t include cuts for the community colleges, it may be especially challenging for the next chancellor to secure new investments from the state this year. “This moment in time is unique. We’re starting to emerge from a pandemic, but clearly the world has changed. The world of higher ed has changed,” said Cecilia Rios-Aguilar, an associate dean at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. “We need a strong voice that will help remind state leaders and policymakers and people across higher education in California what the community colleges are and what they do. They’re the veins of America at this moment. If you think of any challenge, community colleges can help.”