Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff:
As we celebrate a new calendar year and prepare for another academic semester on the campus of ¹ÏÉñÍø, I write today to share that Don Stansberry, Ph.D., Vice President for Student Engagement and Enrollment Services, is leaving his position to serve as a Presidential Fellow, while also pursuing other opportunities. As such, I want to express my sincere appreciation for Dr. Stansberry and his dedicated service to ¹ÏÉñÍø spanning 22 years. He has truly demonstrated a clear commitment to our students, our campus community, and our Commonwealth, as well as the profession of higher education as a whole. During his tenure at ¹ÏÉñÍø, Don led the areas of student engagement, student success, and enrollment services. He has been a consummate student affairs professional dedicated to student engagement, development, and collaborative relationships to enhance the student experience.
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Austin Agho, Ph.D. will serve as Interim Vice President for Student Engagement and Enrollment Services. Provost Agho will provide continued leadership to the Division of Academic Affairs and now also the Division of Student Engagement and Enrollment Services. A Search Committee, to be chaired by Provost Agho, is in the process of being convened and will immediately begin its important work as part of a national search in close collaboration with Greenwood Asher & Associates, a leading organization with many decades of demonstrated success, in working toward welcoming a permanent leader for this functional area on or around July 1, 2023.
During this time of transition, I ask that you join me in expressing gratitude to Dr. Stansberry for his efforts on behalf of Monarch students and the broader community and Dr. Agho for his willingness to assume this interim position. Without question, students are at the heart of everything we do at ¹ÏÉñÍø. Through our daily commitment as a campus and community, our passion and pride for students will not waver at either the individual or collective levels. Student engagement and success are true pillars of the Monarch experience, which will not change as we are driven by our worthwhile mission of teaching, research, and service in a student-centered environment!
With Monarch Pride,
Brian O. Hemphill, Ph.D.
President