(In alphabetical order, bios below)
- Divina Grossman, Ph.D.
- William Latimer, Ph.D.
- Frank Sánchez, Ph.D.
- Michael Tidwell, Ph.D.
Bill Foulkes, chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education, serves as chair for the 11-member presidential search committee, which includes representatives from the RIC faculty, staff and student body, as well as council members and community leaders.
“The Council on Postsecondary Education is extremely pleased that the search process produced such a highly qualified and diverse pool of applicants,” said Foulkes. “Each of the four finalists has demonstrated strong leadership in higher education, a track record of innovation and a powerful commitment to student success.”
Since launching the search in February, the committee has worked diligently to solicit and incorporate feedback from the RIC community regarding the search process and has hosted multiple public forums on the topic. Based in part upon this feedback, the job description for the next president prioritizes visionary leadership, strong communication skills and a commitment to campus-wide diversity and cultural proficiency. He or she will also be expected to marshal the instructional and support resources required to improve student outcomes. Qualified candidates must have an earned doctorate from an accredited institution and have leadership experience in a public higher education institution.
Ligature Partners, the executive search agency assisting with the RIC presidential search, conducted an extensive national outreach that resulted in more than 40 applications for the position. Upon reviewing these applications, Ligature proposed 12 candidates for the committee’s consideration. Of these candidates, 10 were interviewed by the search committee.
The Council on Postsecondary Education hopes to select a candidate for the position in May and onboard the next president prior to the start of the fall semester.
Candidate Bios:
Divina Grossman is a professor and former chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Previously, she was at Florida International University where she was the founding vice president for engagement, and prior to that, dean of the College of Nursing and Health Sciences and dean of the School of Nursing. As chancellor at UMass Dartmouth, Grossman led the development and implementation of their strategic plan, culminating in the university’s designation as a Doctoral Research University by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. During her tenure as chancellor at UMass Dartmouth, she completed its $45 million renovation of the Claire T. Carney Library and $11.5 million modernization of classrooms and laboratories; construction of the $31.5 million Massachusetts Accelerator for Biomanufacturing, the Dean Elizabeth A. Pennington Nursing Simulation Laboratory and the Hall-Hildreth Innovation, Design, Art, and Engineering (IDEA) Studio; and expansion of the Tripp Fitness Center. The campus also relaunched the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center as the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the South Coast Development Partnership to help catalyze regional economic development. Under Grossman’s leadership, UMass Dartmouth increased the freshman retention rate from 74 percent to 79 percent, significantly expanded bachelor’s degree online programs, developed new academic programs and increased R&D expenditures from $22.7 million to $28.2 million. Grossman earned a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas, a M.S.N. from the University of Miami and a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania.
William Latimer is founding dean at the School of Health Sciences, Human Services and Nursing, and professor of health sciences at Lehman College, City University of New York (CUNY), where he has built an institution that works effectively in partnership and service to its community in the Bronx and within the CUNY system. His team is part of a CUNY-wide group working to revitalize general education in the college in conjunction with the School of Arts and Humanities. To help support effective transfer by community college students to Lehman, Latimer has established dual degree programs and articulation agreements with local community colleges. He has also developed innovative community engagement initiatives including a partnership with the New York Department of Education and Department of Health to deliver a school-based program in the Bronx that coordinates a weight and healthy-eating program with a literacy program and physical fitness program (administered by six-time Stanley Cup winner, Mark Messier). Latimer’s own research has been continuously funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1995. He has increased the rate of grant funding for faculty research at Lehman College by 50 percent and secured over $2.25 million in grant funding. He has also dedicated himself to educating and advancing diverse populations. As associate professor at Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, Latimer increased minority representation among students and faculty in triple digits. His commitment to student engagement resulted in an annual conference at Johns Hopkins for students to present their research and meet program staff from NIH. Latimer believes in providing alternative degree pathways and is implementing a fully online R.N. to B.S. program for Lehman students who work and have families. Latimer earned his B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges, his M.A. from Columbia University's Teachers College, his Master of Public Health from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and his Ph.D. from the University of Rhode Island.
Frank Sánchez is vice chancellor for student affairs at the City University of New York (CUNY), where he provides university-wide leadership for 24 distinct colleges, educating 500,000 students within the largest urban, public university in the United States. For over 20 years, Sánchez has advanced the teaching and learning enterprise by supporting innovative public-private partnerships, student services, programs, policies and external funding aimed at increasing student success and degree completion. While at CUNY, Sánchez partnered with the Robin Hood Foundation and Single Stop USA to expand access to legal and financial counseling, tax preparation, health insurance and other benefits for the university’s most financially vulnerable students. In four years, the financial resources allocated to CUNY’s students grew from $11.8 million to $40 million. In 2015, Sánchez was appointed to the New York State Board of Regents Workgroup to Improve Outcomes for Boys and Young Men of Color and was also appointed to Colorado Governor Bill Ritter’s P-20 Education Taskforce. During Sánchez’s tenure as vice president for student affairs at Adams State College, the graduation rates for Hispanic students improved from 15 percent to 51 percent in three years. Sánchez earned his B.S. in psychology from the University of Nebraska, his M.S. in student affairs and higher education from Colorado State University and his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Indiana University.
Michael Tidwell is dean of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University where he has been instrumental in creating innovative programs that enhance student success. In addition, he has established very effective private and public partnerships, launching experiential learning curriculum, executive-in-residence programs and speaker series. He has led five successive years of increased enrollment at Eastern Michigan University while increasing graduate program staff by 150 percent and undergraduate program staff by 50 percent. He is also working through the final launch stages for Eastern Michigan University’s online M.B.A. program. When Tidwell was dean for the College of Business at the Bloomsbury University of Pennsylvania, he established an experiential learning and community engagement office that assisted faculty in building, delivering and assessing experiential learning opportunities, developing credit and non-credit programming, and establishing a professional network that enhances student learning. Tidwell launched his career in the high tech industry and then, after completing his Ph.D., moved into higher education. He earned his B.S. in communications at Ball State University, his M.A. in communications at Washington State University and his Ph.D. in organizational studies at Washington State University.
Established in 1854, Rhode Island College serves approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students through its five schools: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Feinstein School of Education and Human Development, the School of Social Work, the School of Management and the School of Nursing. For more information, visit www.ric.edu.
