Sánchez named new president of RIC

RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE'S new president is Frank D. Sánchez, vice chancellor for student affairs at the City University of New York. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE
RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE'S new president is Frank D. Sánchez, vice chancellor for student affairs at the City University of New York. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND COLLEGE

PROVIDENCE – Frank D. Sánchez was named Rhode Island College’s 10th president by the Council on Postsecondary Education at a meeting Wednesday, concluding a five-month-long search and vetting process that included more than 40 applicants from across the U.S.

The council would like to install Sánchez before the start of the fall term.

President Nancy Carriuolo steps down May 21, and Clark Greene will serve as the college’s interim president.

Due to his work as vice chancellor for student affairs at the City University of New York, Sánchez was one of only four applicants recommended for the position by an 11-member presidential search committee consisting of RIC faculty, staff and student body representatives as well as council members and community leaders.

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Bill Foulkes, who served as both chair of the Council on Postsecondary Education and chair of the RIC Presidential Search Committee, said the process yielded four very qualified, diverse candidates.

“While it was a difficult decision, we selected Dr. Sánchez because of his commitment to students. Specifically, we were impressed with his track record in implementing effective student success and enrollment management initiatives as well as his history of leadership in supporting innovative teaching and learning efforts while expanding financial resources for students,” he said.

Sánchez holds a bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of Nebraska, a master of science in student affairs and higher education from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Indiana University.
Finalists included Divina Grossman, the former University of Massachusetts Dartmouth chancellor, as well as William Latimer and Michael Tidwell. Latimer is the 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, and Tidwell is dean of the College of Business at Eastern Michigan University.

Ligature Partners, an executive search agency, assisted with the RIC presidential search conducting extensive national outreach; it eventually put forward the names of 12 candidates for consideration. The committee then interviewed 10 of those candidates from which four finalists were selected.

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