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J ELLIS
Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, who currently serves as provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs at Oakland University and formerly served as a professor of Health Science and CSU Long Beach and the Dean of Health Sciences and Human Services at CSU Monterey Bay, was announced to be appointed as CSU Stanislaus' new president earlier today. (Photo courtesy of Oakland University press release)
Dr. Britt Rios-Ellis, a Health Sciences professor who served as both a faculty member and a Dean in the CSU for nearly three decades and as provost and executive vice president of Academic Affairs in Michigan, was appointed as CSU Stanislaus’ 13th president following a months-long collaborative candidate selection process between the CSU administration and members of the local and campus community.
Dr. Rios-Ellis will take over the position of our current interim president, Dr. Susan Borrego, on July 1st, 2024.
“I am both honored and humbled to serve this outstanding University alongside the talented faculty, staff, administrators and students at Stanislaus State, and to be the first new president selected under the leadership of Chancellor Mildred Garcia,” Rios-Ellis was quoted as saying in today’s press release. ”I am eager to get to know the Turlock and Stockton communities and work together to ensure that the positive impact of our students’ and the University’s overall success is felt profoundly throughout the region.”
The press release went on to say that Rios-Ellis’ time at Oakland University (OU) has been focused on promoting equity and inclusion. During her tenure, OU saw an 8% increase in retention of underrepresented students.
Rios-Ellis’ commitment to diversity was emphasized by OU President Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, who made a statement in OU’s press release.
“Provost Rios-Ellis’ commitment to transforming Oakland into a diverse and equitable campus has inspired so many of us,” she said. “She has been a tireless advocate in hiring underrepresented minorities, expanding the scope of community engagement and pushing for a greater role for sustainability.”
These sentiments about diversity were again echoed by Dr. Ann Strahm, a professor of Sociology at Stan State and a faculty representative on the Presidential Search Committee.
“She is committed to ensuring access to higher education for everyone, especially ensuring those from the most historically marginalized communities have equitable access and opportunities to belong and succeed,” she said in a written statement.
Strahm also cited a commitment to liberal arts education, her willingness to cooperate with Stan State’s six campus labor unions, and a “welcoming exuberance that is infectious” as qualities that give her faith in Rios-Ellis’ term as Stan State’s president.