Dr. Lillian Wanjagi has been appointed as the new Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer at Southern Connecticut State University. Dr. Wanjagi comes to Southern CT State from Fayetteville State University where she has served as the CFO and Vice Chancellor of Business and Finance since 2022. She has an extensive background in the VPFA sphere having served as the VPFA at Viterbo University and the Executive Director for Facilities Administration at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Wanjagi will begin her duties with Southern Connecticut State University in late January. Read more.
Mr. Matt Parlow has been appointed as the new President of Chapman University. He will assume the presidency on September 2, 2025. Mr. Parlow currently serves as executive vice president, chief advancement officer, and the Parker S. Kennedy Chair in Law at Chapman. Over his 12 years at Chapman, Mr. Parlow has been instrumental in propelling the institution toward becoming one of the nation’s elite academic universities as a member of executive leadership and an administrator-scholar. Matt has led Inspire: The Campaign for Chapman University that has raised more than $400 million to date—the largest and most ambitious fundraising initiative in the university’s history. Prior to this position, Mr. Parlow enhanced the standing and performance of the Dale E. Fowler School of Law while serving as the dean and Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law. His accomplishments, among many, include improving the school’s U.S. News & World Report ranking by more than 20 spots and recruiting the most diverse and high-performing classes in the law school’s history. Before joining Chapman, Mr. Parlow served as a professor and an associate dean for academic affairs at Marquette University Law School, where he improved the school’s skills-based course selection and employment ranking, and he taught property, land use, legislation and sports law—his area of academic expertise which he co-taught with Major League Baseball Commissioner Emeritus Bud Selig. Earlier in his career, he practiced law at the prominent firm Manatt, Phelps, and Phillips and clerked for Judge Pamela Ann Rymer of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He also worked in the White House’s Office of the Legal Counsel and for the Office of Mayor Richard J. Riordan as a press deputy and policy analyst in Los Angeles, his hometown. He earned his undergraduate degree in history from Loyola Marymount University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Read more.
Dr. Nancy Albers has been appointed as the new Dean of the College of Business of East Texas A&M University (formerly Texas A&M University-Commerce) beginning her role on March 15, 2025. Dr. Albers currently serves as Dean of the College of Business at the University of South Carolina Aiken and previously led as Dean of the College of Business, Education, and Human Development at Louisiana State University Shreveport. Dr. Albers holds a Ph.D. from the University of Houston, with a major in Marketing and a minor in International Business. She also earned an M.B.A. from Texas State University-San Marcos and a B.S. in Speech Communications from the University of Texas at Austin. Read more.
Dr. Mark Blegen has been appointed as the new President of Linfield University effective July 1, 2025. Dr. Blegen currently serves as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Carroll University, a 3,300-student liberal arts university in Waukesha, Wisconsin. At Carroll, he oversaw a $40 million academic affairs budget, took part in comprehensive fundraising campaigns and played a key role in creating and implementing inclusive hiring practices for faculty and staff. Under his leadership, Carroll launched its first Ph.D program, expanded masters-level offerings and partnered with a high school in downtown Milwaukee to offer an on-site associate degree program, Carroll University’s first. The associate degree in nursing (ADN) focuses on educating and developing bilingual nurses. Previously, Dr. Blegen held posts at St. Catherine University in Minnesota. He served as associate dean, then dean of the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health Sciences and chaired the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Science. He began his academic career teaching as an assistant professor at Mount Union College and Springfield College. Blegen holds a doctorate in exercise physiology from Kent State University, a master’s degree in exercise physiology from St. Cloud University and a Bachelor of Arts in sports science with a sports medicine focus from St. Olaf College. Read more.
Dr. Andrew Barnes has been appointed as the new President of Pennsylvania College of Art & Design. Dr. Barnes currently serves as the Dean of the School of the Arts, Communication, and Global Studies, and of the School of Behavioral Sciences and Education at York College of Pennsylvania. For eleven years prior to coming to York, Barnes worked at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, and for eight of those years served as the Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Barnes is a leader in higher education with advanced degrees in the arts and humanities. He is a community-focused executive with exceptional communication skills and a leadership style that fosters communication, transparency, and trust. Dr. Barnes holds a B.A. in Accounting from the University of Indianapolis, a M.A. in Humanities and Social Thought from New York University, as well as a Ph.D. in English from SUNY-Stony Brook. Most recently, Dr. Barnes earned his M.F.A. in Creative Non-Fiction from Bennington Writing Seminars. Read more.
Ms. Rebecca Kocher has been appiointed as the new Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the CSU Foundation of Central State University, effective December 9, 2024. Ms.Kocher comes to Central State from Wittenberg University, where she served as Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement. Before joining Wittenberg, Ms. Kocher served at Bowling Green State University, as well as at Albion College and the University of Mary Washington. Ms. Kocher earned a B.A. in Speech Communications from Edinboro University. Read more.
Ms. Casey Cline has been appointed as the new Director of Workforce and Career Development of Lander University and will begin on January 1, 2025. Ms. Cline has been providing comprehensive and intentional career guidance to students for the past decade, serving most recently as the Director of Career and Professional Development at Newberry College since 2021. Prior to Newberry, Ms. Cline served for 4 years as a Disability and Career Services Counselor at Midlands Technical College. Ms. Cline holds master's degrees from Nazareth University in Higher Education Student Affairs Administration and in Clinical Art Therapy, and she holds a B.A. in Art Therapy from Mercyhurst University.
Mr. David B. Moore has been appointed as the new Vice President for Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of Ohio University, effective January 6, 2025. Mr. Moore has provided leadership for the University Budget Office at Rutgers University since 2019, serving as Chief Budget Officer and Assistant Vice President for Financial Planning and Analytics (2019-2020), Associate Vice President for Financial Planning and Analytics (2020-2022), and Vice President for Financial Planning and Analytics (2022-present). Prior to Rutgers, Mr. Moore served for 5 years in various capacities at George Mason University, including Associate Budget Director, Director of Budget and Planning Analysis, and Assistant Vice President and Chief Budget Officer. Mr. Moore holds a B.S. in Business Administration - Accountancy from California State University, Stanislaus. Read more.
Mr. Bob Calhoun has been appointed as the new Senior Director of Prospect Research and Management of San Francisco State University. Mr. Calhoun will begin his new role on November 12th. Mr. Calhoun comes to San Francisco State from the Climate Leadership Initiative, where he has served as Senior Research Analyst since 2019. Prior to CLI, he served as Senior Research Analyst at the University of California, Berkeley between 2008 and 2019. Mr. Calhoun earned a B.A. in Broadcasting and Electronic Communications Arts from San Francisco State University.