Transitions: Bennett College Names New Chief, Taylor U. President to Step Down

Chief executives

Appointments

Martin Abraham, provost and academic vice president at Western Illinois University, has been named acting president. He will replace Jack Thomas, who stepped down on June 30.

Timothy J. Collins, chief government-relations officer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, has been named president of Walsh University. He succeeds Richard Jusseaume, who retired.

James Glass, provost at Southern Regional Technical College, has been named president. He will succeed Craig R. Wentworth, who retired on June 30.

Monica Green, vice president for planning and development at Riverside City College, has been named interim president of Norco College. She replaces Bryan Reece, who was fired on June 12.

William A. Jones, president of Bethany College, in Kansas, has been named president of Georgetown College. He will succeed Michael Dwaine Greene, who plans to step down.

Daniel Lemons, interim dean of academic affairs at City University of New York Herbert H. Lehman College, has been named interim president. He will replace José Luis Cruz, who left to become executive vice chancellor and provost for the City University of New York.

Stanton F. McNeely III, president of the Louisiana Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, will become president of the University of Holy Cross on July 15. He will succeed David M. (Buck) Landry, who has retired.

S. Georgia Nugent, president emerita of Kenyon College, will become interim president of Illinois Wesleyan University on August 15.

Michael Raich, provost at Hibbing Community College, has been named interim president of the Northeast Higher Education District, a consortium of five Minnesota State colleges. He will replace Bill Maki, who has been named interim vice chancellor for finance and facilities of Minnesota State.

Suzanne Walsh, former deputy director of postsecondary success at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will become president of Bennett College on August 1. She will replace Gwendolyn O’Neal, who will step down as interim president and become chief operating officer of the college.

Jeffery Williamson, provost/chief academic and student-affairs officer at Minnesota West Community and Technical College, will become interim president of North Hennepin Community College on August 5. He will replace Barbara McDonald, who will become president of the College of St. Scholastica.

Resignations

Brother F. Edward Coughlin, president of Siena College since 2014, plans to step down on August 31, 2020.

Paul Lowell Haines, president of Taylor University since 2016, will step down on August 15.

Pareena Lawrence, president of Hollins University since July 2017, stepped down on June 30.

Retirements

Dennis King, president of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College since 2014, plans to retire on January 31.

Chief academic officers

Appointments

Mary Beth Armstrong, a professor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montevallo, has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Ronald G. Cantor, former president of Southern Maine Community College, has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at Cayuga Community College.

Aaron Dominguez, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at the Catholic University of America, has been named provost.

Julie Fickas, interim campus president and chief academic officer at St. Louis Community College at Forest Park, has been named to the post permanently.

Salma Ghanem, professor and dean of the College of Communication and acting provost since October 2018 at DePaul University, has been named interim provost.

Amiel Jarstfer, vice president for academic affairs at Lincoln Memorial University, has been named provost at Ashland University.

Feleccia Moore-Davis, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Tallahassee Community College, has been named campus president and chief academic officer at St. Louis Community College at Meramec.

Lance Roberts, a professor and head of the department of mining engineering and management at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, has been named interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Marissa R. Schlesinger, associate dean of curriculum and first-year programs at Guttman Community College, will become provost and vice president for academic affairs at Tacoma Community College on September 22.

Other top administrators

Appointments

Kathleen Davis, interim vice president for enrollment and retention management at Saint Louis University, has been named to the post permanently.

Ralph Davis, associate vice provost for research and innovation at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, has been named vice president for research at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology.

Alan Finn, vice president for business and finance and treasurer at Lewis and Clark College, will become vice president for business affairs and treasurer at Ball State University on August 15.

Douglas M. Haynes, vice provost for academic equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University of California at Irvine, has been named the university’s inaugural vice chancellor for equity, diversity and inclusion.

Donna J. Howard, director of development at Morgan State University, has been named vice president for institutional advancement and executive director of the Morgan State University Foundation Inc.

Derya Jacobs, vice president for corporate relations and senior vice provost at Robert Morris University, in Pennsylvania, has been named senior vice president for corporate relations and strategic initiatives.

Betsy Mennell, associate vice president for principal gifts and special projects at Regis University, has been named vice president for university advancement at Weber State University.

Christopher Mossey, former senior managing director of the global-ventures initiative at the Juilliard School, has been named vice president for institutional advancement at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Yves-Rose Porcena, chief diversity officer at the University of West Georgia, has been named the first vice president for equity and inclusion at Agnes Scott College.

Valerie Rempel, dean of the Fresno Pacific Biblical Seminary and interim vice president at Fresno Pacific University, has been named to the vice-president post permanently.

Heather Rich, associate vice president for advancement at Fontbonne University, has been named executive director of the university’s West Campus.

G. Don Taylor, vice provost for learning-systems innovation and effectiveness and a professor of industrial and systems engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, has been named the university’s interim vice president for research and innovation.

Jerry White, chief operations officer at Culver Academies, will become vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer at Bethel University on August 19.

Deans

Appointments

Andrew V. Abela, provost at the Catholic University of America, has been named dean of the Tim and Steph Busch School of Business.

Stephanie G. Adams, dean of the Frank Batten College of Engineering & Technology at Old Dominion University, has been named dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas.

Lisa Allen, interim dean of the School of Education at Campbellsville University, has been named to the post permanently.

Jeffrey Belnap, provost and senior vice president of the American University of Afghanistan, will become dean of the Costa Rica campus of Texas Tech University, the university’s first international campus, on August 1.

Linda Burton, a professor of sociology at Duke University, has been named dean of the School of Social Welfare at the University of California at Berkeley.

Tom Campbell, associate dean of academic affairs and an associate professor of pharmacy practice at Lipscomb University, has been named interim dean of the College of Pharmacy.

Vishaan Chakrabarti, an associate professor of practice in the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University and founder of the New York-based architecture and planning firm, Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, has been named dean of the College of Environmental Design at the University of California at Berkeley.

Alexander Colvin, a professor of conflict resolution and associate dean of academic affairs, diversity, and faculty development at Cornell University, has been named dean of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Robin Renee Davis, an associate professor of management and director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at Claflin University, has been named dean of the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union University.

Jennifer Keene, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas since August 2018, has been named to the post permanently.

Iris Lafferty, associate vice president for academic affairs and academic department chair and associate dean of the College of Education at Ashford University, has been named executive dean of the College of Doctoral Studies.

Elena B. Langan, dean of the Concordia University School of Law, in Boise, has been named dean of the Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center.

Yung-Jae Lee, interim dean of the School of Economics and Business Administration at Saint Mary’s College of California, has been named dean of the Barowsky School of Business at Dominican University of California.

Kathryn Lively, a professor of sociology and interim dean of the college at Dartmouth College, has been named dean of the college.

Costis Maglaras, a professor in the decision, risk, and operations divisionof the Business School at Columbia University, has been named dean of the school.

Brent Marsh, vice president for student affairs at Rogers State University, will become assistant vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Mississippi on August 1.

The Rev. Gregory W. McGonigle, university chaplain at Tufts University, will become university chaplain and dean of spiritual and religious life at Emory University in August.

Jesse Perez Mendez, dean of the School of Education at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has been named dean of the College of Education at Texas Tech University.

Hillary Mickell, an entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of the recipe-sharing app, Foodily, has been named dean and regional chief executive in the San Francisco Bay Area for Northeastern University.

Ernie Minton, interim dean of the College of Agriculture and director of the K-State Research and Extension at Kansas State University, has been named to both posts permanently.

Mike Petroski, director of faculty development and academic assessment at Lynn University, has been named academic dean and interim dean of the College of Communication and Design.

Susan Ruskin, dean of the School of Filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, has been named dean of the American Film Institute Conservatory.

Alexander Triantis, dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland at College Park, has been named dean of the Carey Business School at the Johns Hopkins University.

Retirements

June Henton, dean of the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University since 1985, retired on June 30.

Department chairs

Appointments

Valerie Flanagan, an assistant professor of education at Campbellsville University, has been named chair of graduate programs.

Karen C. Johnson, a professor of women’s health at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, has been named chair of the department of preventive medicine.

Seunghae Lee, an associate professor in the School of Design & Human Environment at Oregon State University’s College of Business, has been named chair of the interior-design program at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Mark Mulligan, an associate professor of architecture at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, has been named chair of the architecture program at Wentworth Institute of Technology.

Other administrators

Appointments

Nicola Barrett, senior director of executive education and managing director of engagement, impact, and operations in the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, has been named chief corporate learning officer in the Goizueta Business School at Emory University.

Paul Binkley, director of student career development in the Homewood Career Center at Johns Hopkins University, has been named the first executive director of the Center for Career and Professional Development at the University of Mary Washington.

Maureen Halley, former director of marketing communications at Project Bread with the Walk for Hunger Inc., has been named director of marketing communications at Anna Maria College.

Chelsia Harris, associate director of nursing for degree development in the School of Nursing at Lipscomb University, has been named executive director of the school.

Mike Jacobs, head baseball coach at the University of Mobile, has been named athletic director.

Lyuba Konopasek, director of physician-engagement and well-being programs at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, has been named senior associate dean of education at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.

Andrew Lattanner, deputy chief of staff for Senator Joe Donnelly, of Indiana, has been named director of the Workforce Training Center at Portland Community College.

Cheryl Meyer, associate dean of the School of Professional Psychology at Wright State University, will become vice provost for faculty affairs on August 1.

Doug Skrzyniarz, associate vice president of government health affairs at Wayne State University, has been named vice dean of finance and administration for the university’s School of Medicine.

Aaron Smithers, collection assistant in the Southern Folklife Collection in the Wilson Special Collections Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named special-collections research and instruction librarian.

Scott K. Tieken, interim co-director of the career services and employer relations at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, has been named director of career services and employer relations.

Lynette Yarger, associate professor of information sciences and technology at Pennsylvania State University, has been named the first assistant dean for equity and inclusion.

Faculty

Appointments

Amelia McClain, a visiting guest-artist-in-residence at the University of Evansville who recently starrted in The Play That Goes Wrong on Broadway, has been named an assistant professor of acting at the university.

Tenure awards

The following professors were awarded tenure at their institutions. If a faculty rank is not included, the faculty member is being promoted to the rank of associate professor. The changes take effect on varying dates.

Wofford College

Heidi Bostic, chemistry

Peter Brewitt, environmental studies

Courtney Dorroll, religion

Amanda Matousek, modern languages, literatures and cultures

Brian Pigott, mathematics

Changes in rank

Professors’ new ranks follow.

Wofford College

Lillian Gonzalez, to professor of accounting, business and finance

Katherine Janiec Jones, to professor and associate provost for curriculum and co-curriculum and religion

Li Qing Kinnison, to professor of Chinese studies and modern languages, literatures and cultures

Britton Newman, to associate professor of modern languages, literatures and cultures

Kaye Savage, to professor and chair of environmental studies

Catherine Schmitz, to professor of modern languages, literatures and cultures

Katherine Steinmetz, to associate professor of psychology

Xavier University of Louisiana

Partha Bhattacharjee, to professor of biology

Hector Biliran Jr., to professor of biology

Lamartine Meda, to professor of chemistry

Circecie Olatunji, to professor of education and counseling

Anderson Sunda-Meya, to professor of physics and computer science

Brian Turner, to associate professor of psychology

Patrick Vernon, to associate professor of mathematics

Yingnan Zhao, to clinical associate professor of pharmacy

Organizations

Appointments

Kim Anglin Anderson, executive vice president of the Democracy Alliance, will become executive director of the National Education Association on September 1. She will be the first woman and first person of color in this role.

Scott D. Miller, president of Virginia Wesleyan University, was elected president of the National Association of Colleges and Universities of the United Methodist Church.

Silvia Ronco, senior program director at the Research Corporation for Science Advancement, has been named president-elect of the Council on Undergraduate Research.

Eric J. Rubin, a professor and chair of the department of immunology and infectious diseases in the T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University, has been named editor-in-chief of the New England Journal of Medicine and the NEJM Group.

Deaths

Alan Brinkley, professor emeritus of American history and provost emeritus at Columbia University, died on June 16. He was 70. Brinkley wrote several books, including Voices of Protest: Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and the Great Depression (Vintage Books, 1983), which won the National Book Award for history. Before he arrived at Columbia in 1991, he taught at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, and the City University of New York.

Charles Chanter, former executive secretary of the Michigan Community College Athletic Association, died on June 12. He was 89. Chanter worked for the association from 1966 to 2008. He was also an adjunct professor and golf coach at Grand Rapids Community College. He arrived at the college in 1954, when it was named Grand Rapids Junior College, and worked there until he retired as golf coach in 2007.

Leonard H. Finkelstein, chancellor, former president, and a professor emeritus of urologic surgery at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, died June on 25. He joined the faculty in 1963, served as president from 1990 to 2000, and became chancellor in 2006.

Louis S. Harris, a professor emeritus in the School of Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University, died on June 10.

Sister Jeanne O’Laughlin, president emerita of Barry University, died at age 90. She served as president from 1981 to 2004, and then was chancellor of the university for five years.

Charles A. Reich, a professor of law at Yale University from 1960 to 1974 and author of the The Greening of America (Random House, 1970), died on June 15. He was 91.

Tylden W. Streett, a faculty member emeritus at the Maryland Institute College of Art, died on June 20. He was 96. Streett taught scuplture at the institute from 1959 until his retirement in 2009.

Submit items for Gazette to people@chronicle.com.