President Shirley Ann Jackson has appointed LeNorman J. Strong as interim vice president for student life. Strong served as associate vice chancellor of student affairs for residential and student service programs at the University of California, Berkeley, from April 2009 to May 2015. While at Berkeley, he had oversight for a multifaceted array of student services and programs that included: New Student Services, Summer Bridge, Student and Family Housing, Residential Life, Childcare Services, Housing Facilities, and Residential & Campus Dining Services. His department had an annual combined operating budget exceeding $154 million and a workforce of approximately 2,000, including student staff.
Prior to Berkeley, Strong served for 11 years as assistant vice president for student and academic services at Cornell University, and at George Washington University, where he served as assistant vice president for student and academic support services, and as a member of the faculty of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development. In addition, he has held positions at Tarrant County College (Texas) as director of student activities and as a program adviser in the Student Activities Office at the University of Texas at Arlington.
Strong received a master’s degree in education and human development from the George Washington University, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Texas at Arlington, and has completed coursework for his anticipated doctorate of education in higher education administration at George Washington University. In addition, he holds a certificate in college business administration from the National Association of College and University Officers/University of Kentucky.
He is active with the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International and the National Association of College Auxiliary Services, where he has been the author of articles and a conference presenter. He has served as president of the Association of College Unions International (ACUI), an organization for which he has also been a member of the board of directors for the Research and Education Foundation, where he chaired the Corporate Sponsorships Committee. He served as the ACUI Chair for the Committee on Multi-Ethnic programs and was the founding chair of the Commission for Multicultural Education for the Educational Foundation of the National Association for Campus Activities.
