Vice President for Student Affairs recruitment update

Dear Members of the University Community,

I write to offer an update regarding the Vice President for Student Affairs recruitment. One of the most important things I’d like to share with you is that the new position title has changed to the Vice President for Student Success and Engagement (VP-SSE). This change in the title is related to the changing demands of such a role on university campuses across the nation and is reflective of critical areas of emphasis for our campus.

While the key functions related to student life and student engagement will not change, this new formulation of the VP-SSE position is responsive to the need for the activities and priorities of the division to have a clear link to our students’ academic success and to be informed by student success data and best practices.

We have engaged the firm of Storbeck-Pimentel & Associates to assist in the recruitment for this national search. Nominations will also be welcome; when information about submitting nominations is available, it will be shared with the university community.

To aid me in the selection of our next vice president, I have appointed a recruitment advisory committee, which consists of the following individuals:

Chair:

• Dr. Bill Spindle, Vice President for Business Affairs

Three persons selected by the President:

• Brandy McLelland, Vice President for Enrollment Management
• Jessica Loudermilk, Chief of Staff, Office of the President
• Richard Delgado, Jr., Director of Military Affairs

One academic administrator selected by the Provost:

• Dr. Durant Frantzen, Chair, Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts & Sciences

One full-time tenure-track faculty member selected by the Academic Senate:

• Dr. Rebekah Piper, Secretary, Faculty Senate, College of Education & Human Development

Two permanent staff members randomly selected from within the Division of Student Affairs:

• Dr. Edwin Blanton, Executive Director, Mays Center
• Gabriella Almanza, Student Development Specialist, Student Counseling

One staff member selected by the Staff Council:

• Rosalinda “Linda” Dietzmann, Graduate Advisor, College of Business

One student selected by the SGA:

• La-Tieka Sims, President

HR representative:

• Christina Gomez, Human Resources Specialist

I have asked the committee to prioritize moving as quickly as is reasonably possible, in the hopes that our new Vice President for Student Success and Engagement might be in place for Spring 2020. More news will follow later in the Fall about opportunities to interact with VP-SSE finalists during their campus visits.

I look forward to receiving your feedback about the candidates and to the great academic year that we all have ahead of us.

Warm regards,

Cynthia Teniente-Matson