Who Takes Office Where: A Rundown of Campus Leadership Moves
Utah Valley University will get a new president on Aug. 10: Jon Anderson, who most recently led Pennsylvania Western University. Clemson University has tapped Benjamin Ayers, provost of the University of Georgia, to become its president starting Aug. 1, part of a wave of leadership changes across U.S. colleges.
Several moves touch community college systems. Steven Bloomberg, chancellor of California's Kern Community College District, took over as chancellor of Arizona's Maricopa Community Colleges on July 1. Monty Sullivan, who led Louisiana's community and technical college system for 12 years, has been selected to run the North Carolina Community College System, pending approval from the General Assembly. In New Hampshire, Chuck Lloyd moves up from vice chancellor to chancellor of the state's community college system on Aug. 24.
Other appointments include S. Terri Gomez as president of California State University, San Bernardino, effective Aug. 2; Tatia Daniels Granger at Virginia's Averett University; and Dan Churchwell at Kuyper College in Michigan. James Fisher becomes interim president of PennWest University on Aug. 10, Teresa Coleman took over as interim president of Southeastern Technical College on June 30, and Neil Terry will be interim president of West Texas A&M University on Sept. 1.
What the Appointments Say About Provost Pipelines and System Experience
Provosts and System Leaders Fill the Pipeline
The appointments show familiar career paths: Ayers moves from provost at Georgia to president at Clemson, and Gomez from provost at Cal Poly Pomona to president at CSUSB. The provost-to-president route remains the most direct route to a campus presidency.
Community Colleges Are Hiring From Within the System World
Bloomberg, Sullivan and Lloyd all arrive from positions inside community college systems or districts rather than from four-year universities. That pattern suggests boards value system-level experience in budgeting, transfer policy and state relations at a moment when community college enrollment and funding remain volatile.
Interim Appointments Smooth the Transition
Fisher, Coleman and Terry take interim roles as searches or successions play out. These appointments give campuses continuity but leave medium-term strategy in limbo until permanent presidents are named.
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