Transitions: George Mason U. Names Next President; Whitworth U. Selects Provost

Chief executives

Appointments

Karin Edwards, president of Portland Community College’s Cascade campus, has been named president of Clark College, in Washington State. She will replace Sandra Fowler-Hill, who has served as interim president since Bob Knight’s retirement in 2019.

Sarah Higgins, vice president for marketing and enrollment at Western Colorado University, has been named president of Herzing University at Birmingham, in Alabama.

Scott Sprenger, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at Weber State University, will become president of the American University in Rome on July 1.

Gregory Washington, dean of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the University of California at Irvine, will become president of George Mason University on July 1. He will replace Anne Holton, who has served as interim president since Ángel Cabrera stepped down.

Resignations

James L. Gaudino, president of Central Washington University since 2009, plans to step down on July 31, 2021.

Chief academic officers

Appointments

Kenneth (Chris) Holford, a professor of biology and dean of the College of Engineering and Sciences at Purdue University Northwest, will become provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs of the university on May 11.

Lester Rápalo, dean of the Elizabeth campus of Union County College, has been named provost and vice president for academic affairs at City University of New York’s Bronx Community College.

Hill Taylor, director of the Office of Learning Support at Oregon Health & Science University, has been named chief academic officer at American College of Healthcare Sciences.

Gregor Thuswaldner, a professor of humanities and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at North Park University, will become provost and executive vice president at Whitworth University on July 1.

Other top administrators

Appointments

Edith Fernández, associate vice president for community engagement and diversity initiatives at Nevada State College, has been named vice president for college and community engagement.

Lisa McClinton, associate vice chancellor for finance at the University of North Carolina’s School of the Arts, will become vice chancellor for business and finance at Elizabeth City State University on April 1.

Myron L. Pope, chief of strategic engagement at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, will become vice president for student life at the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa on May 4.

Julian Williams, vice president for inclusion and diversity at George Mason University, will become chief diversity officer at the University of South Carolina on June 15.

Retirements

Olivia G. White, vice president for student life and dean of students at Hood College, plans to retire.

Deans

Appointments

Heidi Bostic, visiting associate provost for special projects at Furman University, will become dean of the Helen Way Klingler College of Arts and Sciences at Marquette University on May 28.

Annmarie Caño, associate provost for faculty development and success and a professor of psychology at Wayne State University, will become dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Gonzaga University on July 1.

Michael Cheng, interim dean of the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at Florida International University since December 2017, has been named to the post permanently.

Natalie DeWitt, an adjunct professor in the Ph.D. program in education and leadership and director of the bachelor-of-health-science program at Pacific University, has been named dean of students at American College of Healthcare Sciences

Marwan M. Kraidy, associate dean for administration and a professor of global communication in the Annenberg School for Communication, at the University of Pennsylvania, will become dean and chief executive of Northwestern University-Qatar on July 1.

Dayna Bowen Matthew, a professor of law, civil liberties and human rights, and public-health sciences and director of the Equity Center at the University of Virginia, will become the first female dean of the George Washington University Law School on July 1.

Kellee Van Aken, an associate professor of theater and chair of the theater-and-dance department at Seton Hill University, has been named dean of the School of Visual and Performing Arts.

Nicholas Vazsonyi, a professor of languages and chair of the department of languages, literatures, and cultures at the University of South Carolina, will become dean of the College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities at Clemson University on July 1.

Sonja S. Watson, associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and an associate professor of Spanish at the University of Texas at Arlington, will become dean of the AddRan College of Liberal Arts at Texas Christian University on May 29.

Yohuru Williams, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of St. Thomas, in Minnesota, will become dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John’s University, in New York, on July 1.

Resignations

Michael Sipser, dean of the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will step down and return to the faculty on June 30.

Other administrators

Appointments

Patricia Baia, director of online learning and instructional technology at Albany Law School, has been named senior instructional designer at Touro College’s Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center.

Britt Conklin, senior equine-professional-services veterinarian for Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health, has been named associate dean of clinical programs in the School of Veterinary Medicine, in Amarillo, at Texas Tech University.

Michael Crair, a professor of neuroscience and ophthalmology and visual science and deputy dean for scientific affairs at Yale University, will become vice provost for research on April 1.

Jennifer Crewalk, assistant director of Latinx-student affairs at George Mason University, has been named associate director for undocumented students at Georgetown University.

Richard N. Gladstein, a film producer and dean of the American Film Institute Conservatory, will become executive director of the Barry R. Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema at the City University of New York’s Brooklyn College on August 1.

Tim Longo, interim associate vice president for safety and security and chief of police at the University of Virginia, has been named to both posts permanently.

Craig C. McLauchlan, chair of the department of chemistry at Illinois State University, will become associate vice president for research and graduate studies on July 1.

Anne M. Mungai, a special assistant to the provost at Adelphi University, has been named associate provost for strategic initiatives and graduate studies.

Sarah Onori, Title IX investigator at Northeastern University, has been named Title IX and civil-rights investigator at Georgetown University.

Kathleen Quinn, associate dean of rural health at the University of Missouri at Columbia, has been named senior program director for health and safety.

Michael Toews, a professor of entomology at the University of Georgia, has been named assistant dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He will oversee the college’s Tifton Campus.

Retirements

Scott Beckner, assistant vice president and director of the department of public safety at the University of Iowa, plans to retire in June.

Chris Mapes, director of financial aid at Campbellsville University, plans to retire on March 31.

Fellowships

The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program has selected 25 presidents of community colleges for the 2020-21 Aspen New Presidents Fellowship.

Julianna Barnes, president of Cuyamaca College

Kim Blosser, president of Lord Fairfax Community College

Kevin Brockbank, president of Spokane Community College

Paul Carlsen, president of Lakeshore Technical College

Lisa Chapman, president of Central Carolina Community College

Hara Charlier, president of Central Lakes College

Jeff DeFranco, superintendent/president of Lake Tahoe Community College

Sue Ellsperman, president of Ivy Tech Community College

Jose Fierro, president of Cerritos College

Gregory Haile, president of Broward College

Ivan Harrell, president of Tacoma Community College

Jessica Howard, president of Chemeketa Community College

Anthony Iacono, president of County College of Morris

Shanna Jackson, president of Nashville State Community College

Larry Johnson, president of Phoenix College

Suzanne Johnson, president of Green River College

Russ Kavalhuna, president of Henry Ford College

Kevin McCarthy, president of Renton Technical College

Luis Pedraja, president of Quinsigamond Community College

Greg Peterson, president of Chandler-Gilbert Community College

Maria Pharr, president of South Piedmont Community College

Christina Royal, president of Holyoke Community College

Pamela Senegal, president of Piedmont Community College

Joianne Smith, president of Oakton Community College

Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Technical Community College

Organizations

Appointments

Jonathan T. Reynolds, a professor of history and geography at Northern Kentucky University, has been elected vice president of the World History Association.

Shawn VanDerziel, chief human-resources officer and chief of staff for the Board of Trustees at the Field Museum of Natural History, in Chicago, has been named executive director of the National Association of Colleges and Employers.

Deaths

James Didier, president of Judson University from 1992 to 1998, died on February 20. He was 87. Didier arrived at the university as dean of student affairs in 1967. After retiring as president, he served on the Board of Trustees until 2012.

Hugh C. Macgill, a former dean of the School of Law at University of Connecticut, died on February 13. He was 79. Macgill led the law school from 1990 to 2000.

Katherine W. Phillips, a professor of organizational character and faculty director of the Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. Center for Leadership and Ethics at Columbia University, died of breast cancer on January 15. She was 47. Phillips taught at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University before she came to the Columbia Business School.

Frank H.T. Rhodes, president emeritus of Cornell University, died on February 3. He was 93. Rhodes led the university from 1977 to 1995. Before that he taught at the University of Michigan, Ohio State University, and the University of Illinois.

Harry Rubin, a professor emeritus of molecular and cell biology at the University of California at Berkeley, died on February 2. He was 93. Rubin received the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award in 1964 with Renato Dulbecco for work on DNS and RNA tumor viruses.

David S. Ruder, a professor emeritus of law at Northwestern University, died on February 15. He was 90. Ruder was dean of the university’s School of Law from 1977 to 1985. He also served as chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 1987 to 1989, before returning to Northwestern.

Paul Korkutse Vowotor, an instructor in the Tyrone Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Benedict College, died on February 19 in a car crash. He was 64.

Jean Ward, a retired professor of journalism and mass communication at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, died on January 17. She was 89.

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