There are two new staff positions here at EvCC. Formerly known as The Executive Vice President of Student Services, the decision was made to split the duties between the new Vice President of Student Services (VPSS) and the Vice President of Instructions (VPI). 

President Daria Willis noticed how intense the workload was for one person and stated, “It isn’t fair for someone to be overburdened.” So, she felt a change needed to be made. Currently, John Bonner serves as the interim for the Executive Vice President of Instruction and Student Services.

The VPI and VPSS support will be quite helpful in the advancement of students, especially in the workforce. The screening committee is looking for Vice Presidents to help with students overall success. This committee is an appointed group of staff, faculty, and students whose purpose is to review application materials for candidates.

Whoever the screening committee decides to hire will be responsible for planning, developing, implementing and evaluating the quality instructional programming and services for the college as well as the needs of the community. According to Denise Gregory Wyatt, The Vice President of Administrative Services, the screening committee will be looking for individuals to make the curriculum and existing programs more innovative, cultured and dynamic.

Students should take note of these positions as the VPI and the VPSS oversee all academic divisions. This could help make the students’ lives on campus far easier to navigate. This also means that there could be additional funding for student support services like TRiO, The Center for Disability Services, International Department, BRIDGES, and the Writing Center. Retention rates could also increase, which would allow more students to graduate, decreasing the student drop-out rate.  

Sharon Lewis, the Director of the Human Resource Faculty, who works closely with new hires. She mentioned that over 70 applicants were closely reviewed for these positions. As of January 2020, there are now 6 finalists. Though the process is confidential, the faculty, staff and students are welcome to view the recruitment progress on the EvCC website. 

The VPI and the VPSS services are integral to student success because the goal for most students is to graduate. Programs such as Starfish and Student Housing have been huge successes for EvCC so far, and if the campus is willing to bring additional services onboard, the possibilities might be endless in the goal to advance students’ experiences.

The individuals who will serve as the Vice President of Instructions and Vice President of Student Services will be a new addition to the EvCC community. With that said, it will very much be a  worthwhile endeavor to help keep EvCC a growing institution of rising scholars. 

Student forums will begin Feb. 3 and end on Feb. 14 at 1:15 p.m. This is an opportunity for students to be involved, to ask the candidates why EvCC, and how could they make this institution a better place.

Whoever is chosen as the new VPI and VPSS will begin their journey of setting the tone for postgraduate students beginning July 1, 2020.