Search committee for the Vice President for Student Affairs selects three finalists for campus interviews

26 Mar 2012

Robin Holmes, Patricia Perillo, and Frank Shushok

April 5, 2012 editors's note: Robin Holmes withdrew from the search.

Last fall, Vice President for Student Affairs Edward Spencer announced his retirement from his senior leadership position effective June 30, 2012, after many years of service to the university.

As part of the interview and selection process for the next vice president, Senior Vice President and Provost Mark McNamee invites all members of the campus community to meet the candidates selected for a campus interview.

University and community members are invited to attend each candidate’s open forum presentation on “The Vision for Student Affairs at a Large Public Comprehensive Land-Grant Research University.” A reception will be held following the open forum presentation.

Campus visit dates, candidate curriculum vitaes, and survey links to provide feedback are located on the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost website. The search committee encourages all campus and community members to submit feedback via the online surveys.

Frank Shushok (April 2 and 3)

Shushok is associate vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech. He has a Ph.D. in higher education policy from the University of Maryland, a master's degree from The Ohio State University, and a bachelor's degree from Baylor University.

He previously served as dean for student learning and engagement and associate dean for campus living and learning at Baylor University. He holds an appointment as assistant professor of higher education at Virginia Tech and teaches graduate courses in the higher education doctoral program.

He has contributed numerous book chapters and journal articles on higher education, in addition to invited presentations at professional conferences. Shushok is active in several professional higher education associations and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice and the Journal of College and University Student Housing-International.

Open forum presentation and reception: Monday, April 2, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Owens Banquet Hall.

Robin Holmes (April 9 and 10)

Holmes is vice president for student affairs and interim vice president for institutional equity and diversity at the University of Oregon. She has a master's degree and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology and a bachelor's degree and master's degree from California State University, Fullerton.

Holmes was an American Council on Education Fellow at the University of California at Berkeley in 2007. She has served as interim dean of students, project leader of the Cultural Competency Project in the Center for Diversity and Community, and director of the Counseling and Testing Center at the University of Oregon.

She is a member of the executive leadership team of the Council on Student Affairs in the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and is involved regionally and nationally with the National Association for Student Personnel Administrators.

Open forum presentation and reception: Monday, April 9, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Owens Banquet Hall.

Patricia Perillo (April 12 and 13)

Perillo is associate dean of students at Davidson College. She has a Ph.D. in public and community health from the University of Maryland and a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in college counseling and student personnel administration from the University of Delaware.

She previously served as assistant vice president for student affairs and director of student life at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). Perillo was the co-leader of the UMBC Advance grant’s senior women administrators’ leadership program, and was instrumental in the transformation of UMBC from a commuter campus to a vibrant on-campus university.

In 2008-09, she served as president of the American College Personnel Association – College Student Educators International, an international higher education association with more than 10,500 members from 1,500 private and public institutions.