With the new semester underway, many of you have had the good fortune to meet with our new Interim Provost Jorge Silva-Puras. His appointment is one of several changes in our core leadership over the past year. Former Provost Peter Nwosu is now President of SUNY Oswego, Vice President for Diversity and Human Resources Dawn Ewing Morgan has retired, and the Vice President for Institutional Advancement position is still open.
These positions are crucial to our operations and filling these roles will have a major impact on the campus climate and culture of our community. I know that sometimes searches can take a little longer than we want, but the end results will be worth it.
With that in mind, I want to update you on the status of these positions.
In Human Resources, Bridget Barbera, who is Executive Counsel to the President, is now also serving as interim Executive in Charge of HR. We will review this new structure after a year with an expectation that it will allow the cabinet to function more effectively.
Former Vice President Ewing Morgan was also the Director of Compliance and Diversity and we are pleased to let you know that Maritza Rivera, who was previously the Associate Director in that office, has been elevated to Director of Compliance and Diversity.
The search for the permanent Provost is also already underway. We have contracted with WittKieffer to conduct a national search and plan to begin interviews in January of 2024, with a candidate selected and appointed by Summer.
A search firm will also help us recruit a new Vice President for Institutional Advancement. This is a critical position that brings in vital funding to support our various mission-driven programs. We are hopeful this position can be filled by Spring.
While all of this is going on, a number of other searches also continue to move forward for faculty and administrators. It’s a busy and exciting time for us and we look forward to bringing all these new people to campus to enhance and energize our community.
Sincerely,
Fernando Delgado, PhD
President, Lehman College
