SUBJECT:  Appointment of Director -- Student Research and Information

I am pleased to announce that Dr. William B. Armstrong has been selected as the new Director of Student Research and Information, effective March 12, 2001. Armstrong fills the position recently vacated by Dr. Darlene Morell who retired on January 2.

Dr. Armstrong, who received his Ph.D. in Higher Education and Policy Analysis from UCLA's Graduate School of Education, has nearly 12 years of experience in directing institutional research activities for the San Diego Community College District. Since July 1999, he has served as Director of Research for the Community College District's Continuing Education Centers. Prior to that, he served for nine years as the Research Director for the Community College and District Programs. During that time, Armstrong was Project Director for two nationally funded projects on the development of national standards for adult education and adult literacy assessments for the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL). Dr. Armstrong was also appointed to the national Joint Commission for Accountability Reporting (JCAR). This panel of higher education experts was responsible for developing and publishing a national model of performance indicators for all segments of higher education.

Dr. Armstrong has co-authored a book and published a number of papers on institutional research in higher and post-secondary education. He was awarded the "Year 2000 David Mertes Award for Outstanding Research in Community Colleges" by the Association of California Community College Administrators (ACCCA) and the 1999 "Award for Excellence in Institutional Research" by the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges.

We are most fortunate to have Dr. Armstrong join us as a member of the campus community and I hope you will join me in welcoming him to his new position.

                                                Joseph W. Watson
                                                Vice Chancellor