The head of Student Affairs for California State University, San Bernardino, or CSUSB, has been named to lead the UC Riverside Student Affairs office.

Brian Haynes has been vice president for Student Affairs at Cal State San Bernardino since 2013. He becomes vice chancellor for Student Affairs at UCR effective Aug. 15, 2018, pending approval by University of California President Janet Napolitano. Haynes has more than three decades in senior executive roles at public universities across the nation.

“Brian has spent almost his entire career in public higher education supporting students with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences,” said UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox. “With a growing enrollment, UCR needs a leader like Brian to help develop the next generation of student leaders and provide a supportive, nurturing environment for learning and personal development.”

The vice chancellor of Student Affairs has broad oversight of student-related programs, including for campus life, health and wellness, and ethnic and gender programs. The vice chancellor also oversees counseling and psychological services, case management, the CARE advocacy unit, and staff support for the Associated Students of UCR (ASUCR).

In his new role, Haynes will be charged with modeling student development strategies consistent with campus goals related to student success, equity, and access.

“I am very excited about working collaboratively with others on campus to enhance the overall student experience at UCR,” Haynes said.

In March 2017, CSUSB was chosen by an organization of student affairs administrators as a Lead Initiative Institution, based on its commitment to civic learning and democratic engagement.

Haynes played an integral role in the award, overseeing the division of Student Affairs’ strategic plan and participating in several community-service projects. He also played a key role in implementing a memorandum of understanding with more than 26 schools in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, ensuring admission to the state college for qualifying students.

Haynes’ education was exclusively through public universities. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Ohio State University, a master’s degree from Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and a Ph.D. in higher education from Ohio University, specializing in college student personnel.

Haynes will collaborate closely with newly appointed Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Jennifer Brown to optimize the student experience both within and outside the classroom.

“Students’ personal, extracurricular, and social lives have a significant impact on their academic performance,” said Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive. “This can especially be the case for first-generation college students, individuals of diverse backgrounds and identities, and those from low-income families – and each of those groupings describes more than half of our undergraduate student body at UC Riverside.”

Thomas Smith, who is the dean of the Graduate School of Education, or GSOE, has served in an interim role as vice chancellor for student affairs since early 2018. “I’m grateful for his service, commitment, and contributions to both GSOE and Student Affairs during the first half of this year,” Wilcox said.