Vice Chancellor for Student Life Finalist and Open Forum
Dear students, faculty, and staff,
I want to update you on our search for the next vice chancellor for student life—a critical position on the cabinet and the person who leads our out-of-classroom support and experiences for students.
We launched this search before COVID-19 abruptly changed our semester. Despite the challenges, the search committee and consulting firm continued to review applications and held virtual airport interviews. The committee curated a slate of final candidates from a large national pool, and I appreciate their important work. After reviewing the final candidates, considering the needs of our campus, and witnessing the leadership displayed over the past three and a half months, I am recommending one candidate for interviews and an open forum: Interim Vice Chancellor Frank Cuevas.
Advancing a single candidate is unusual, and it was not a foregone conclusion at the outset of this search. Frank has proven himself to be a collaborative, level-headed leader who operates with the best interests of students and the student life team at the forefront—even through the most difficult of times. I believe our national search provided clarity that the best candidate for our campus was here all along.
A single candidate for an important leadership position such as this must still communicate their vision to campus, answer questions, and earn the job. In that spirit, Frank will be interviewing for the position by Zoom on Thursday and Friday.
The public forum will take place at 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 23. You can join by Zoom. Feedback forms are available on the HR executive search website. I encourage you to participate.
Thank you to the search committee for their thoughtful and thorough work leading up to this point.
Donde Plowman
Chancellor