SUBJECT:

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Penny Rue

Following more than five years of distinguished service as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Dr. Penny Rue has announced her decision to leave her administrative position effective June 30, 2013 to become Vice President for Campus Life and a member of the faculty at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.

Since arriving at UC San Diego in September 2007, Vice Chancellor Rue has worked to ensure the well-being of students, strengthen the sense of community on campus, increase opportunities for students outside the classroom, and promote diversity, equity and inclusion. She has overseen a wide range of student services, including Admissions and Enrollment Services, Career Services, Intercollegiate Athletics and Club Sports, the International Center and Study Abroad programs, Experiential Learning, Student Health and Wellness, Student Conduct, University events and fundraising for student scholarships.

Vice Chancellor Rue has led Student Affairs through a comprehensive strategic planning process that set the vision and direction for new initiatives, and she led during a period of unprecedented financial challenges. She strategically administered budget reductions, while securing new revenue sources, in order to preserve and enhance key student services. She helped to raise more than $6 million for scholarships and nearly $18 million overall for Student Affairs. She also secured grant funding to support student mental health initiatives, sexual assault prevention, informal science education and STEM opportunities for underrepresented students.

Communication with current and prospective students and graduates has been a priority for Vice Chancellor Rue. In addition to improving Triton Link and initiating the campus-wide Family Weekend and Siblings Weekend, she has regularly attended student meetings and events, and held student leader lunches. She’s also forged closer partnerships with Alumni Affairs to enhance alumni engagement with current students and the Office of Research Affairs to support undergraduate research opportunities.

Another priority of Vice Chancellor Rue has been to improve the campus climate and student diversity. She has initiated and supported activities to recruit and retain applicants from underrepresented communities, such as the early-calling campaign to inform students of their admission and the student-led overnight programs to increase yield of underrepresented students. Student Affairs also created the award-winning Institute on Building Communities for Social Justice Practice with the Campus Community Centers and the Diversity Working Group to provide framework for ongoing and strategic discussion of programs and projects to improve the campus climate for diversity.

During her tenure, the number of student organizations on campus has increased by 30 percent. The Vice Chancellor has also enhanced international educational opportunities for students through the creation of the Global Seminars program and placed an emphasis on study abroad programs, which led to a 15 percent increase in participation.

We are grateful for Vice Chancellor Rue’s leadership and vision. Please join us in thanking Penny for her contributions to the campus and her steadfast service to our students. We wish her well at Wake Forest University.

Pradeep K. Khosla Chancellor