17 July 2017

To the University community:

I am pleased to announce that Dr. W. Wayne Brumfield will be joining Humboldt State on August 14 as the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs.  In this role, his responsibilities will include housing and residence life, the Children’s Center, student health and wellbeing, counseling and psychological services, health education, the Dean of Student’s Office, the Student Disability Resource Center, Veterans Enrollment and Transition Services (VETS), student engagement and leadership, student clubs and activities, Youth Educational Services (YES), and student rights and responsibilities.  As a member of the University’s senior leadership team, he will be involved in implementing HSU’s strategic plan, strategic budgeting, Graduation Initiative 2025, and preparation for the WSCUC reaffirmation of accreditation visit in March 2018.

Wayne brings broad experience to this role.  He served as Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Louisiana – Monroe for 12 years, and his background also includes positions in admissions, recruiting, and housing.  He has been an adjunct faculty member at Southeastern Louisiana University – Hammond and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.  Most recently, he spent 2016-17 as the Interim Vice President for Student Affairs at the State University of New York at New Paltz, an institution that has many similarities with HSU.

During Wayne’s campus visit last week, he particularly impressed members of the University community with his experience in crisis management, his strong communication skills, his commitment to student success, and his focus on collaboration and cooperation.

Wayne earned a B.A. in history at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now UL – Lafayette), an M.A. in history from Southeastern Louisiana University, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership, research and counseling from Louisiana State University.  His dissertation research focused on the impact of student debt in access to higher education.  Wayne and his wife Karen are the parents of two daughters and have a granddaughter.

A national search for a Vice President for Student Affairs will begin in the fall, and Wayne will assist in that process.  Because he comes to us through the Registry, he will not be eligible to be a candidate in the search himself.

Peg Blake and the staff in Student Affairs have already been working to ensure a smooth transition, and Wayne’s recent experience in the State University of New York system will be particularly valuable as he joins HSU and the California State University.  Please join me in welcoming Wayne to HSU.  And thank you, again, to all of you who met with the three candidates last week and provided such thoughtful feedback.

With best wishes,
Lisa A. Rossbacher, Ph.D.
President