Campus & Community

Committee Members Selected for Senior Vice President of Student Affairs Search

Tuesday, November 17, 2015, By Kathleen Haley

A committee, consisting of students, faculty and staff, has been selected to help lead the search for a new senior vice president of student affairs. As previously announced, Special Assistant to the Chancellor and University College Dean Bea González will chair the search.

The senior vice president of student affairs will help to strengthen Student Affairs’ partnerships across the University and with external partners, and will oversee the division’s strategic planning, assessment and operations.

Along with González, the committee members are:

  • Can Aslan G’18, a doctoral student in bioengineering and Graduate Student Organization president
  • Colleen Bench, associate vice president for student engagement
  • Andria Costello Staniec, associate provost for academic programs
  • Paul Hagenloh, associate professor of history in the Maxwell School
  • Huey Hsiao, associate director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs
  • Dawn Johnson, associate professor in the School of Education and member of the Senate Committee on Student Life
  • Bobby Maldonado, chief of the Department of Public Safety
  • Judy Mower, University Trustee and chair of the Board of Trustees’ Student Affairs Committee
  • Amanda Nicholson, Whitman School associate dean of undergraduate programs and professor of retail practice
  • Brittany Ortiz ’17, a television, radio and film major
  • Aysha A. Seedat ’16, a policy studies major and Student Association president
  • Cory Wallack, director of the Counseling Center

“We have been tasked with searching for an individual who will continue to provide an exceptional level of service to our students while ensuring our students have the best possible experience during their time here,” González says. “The committee members, who come from across the University, bring their unique perspectives and a strong commitment to this critical work. I am pleased to be heading such a dedicated group of community members who have taken on this role in identifying such an important leader on our campus.”

The position is part of Chancellor Kent Syverud’s plan to further enhance the leadership structure in the Division of Student Affairs, its student programs and services, and strongly align resources in support of students with the University’s new Academic Strategic Plan.

Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, currently senior vice president and dean of student affairs, will remain in her role until this search is complete. At that time, she will assume the role of vice president and dean of Student Affairs and continue in a key leadership role, overseeing the coordination of the division’s services in student engagement, student development and crisis response, along with other critical efforts.

The University has hired William Spelman Executive Search firm to assist the committee in its work. The search process is expected to conclude by the spring 2016 semester.