Harvey Mudd College Appoints VP for Student Affairs & Dean of Students

Following a national search, Harvey Mudd College has appointed Anna Gonzalez as its new vice president for student affairs and dean of students. Gonzalez joins the College from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, where she served as dean of students and chief student affairs officer. She will begin her new role at Harvey Mudd Aug. 1, 2018.

“Both the search committee and the entire Harvey Mudd community expressed overwhelming enthusiasm for Anna’s candidacy during her campus visit,” said HMC President Maria Klawe. “Her expertise in leading successful student affairs operations, coupled with her commitment to fostering greater diversity and inclusion, were key factors in her selection. We are thrilled that she will be joining us as our next vice president for student affairs.”

No stranger to The Claremont Colleges, Gonzalez earned both her master’s and PhD in education from Claremont Graduate University. She received a bachelor’s degree in international business from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

“I am thrilled to join the Harvey Mudd community and help build upon a tradition of academic excellence and commitment to strengthening the co-curricular experience within the framework of inclusive excellence,” Gonzalez said of her appointment.

At Lewis and Clark College, Gonzalez was responsible for the co-curricular experiences of more than 2,000 undergraduate students as well as wellness and student support services for over 1,400 graduate students enrolled in various professional schools. She also oversaw the college’s alumni and parents program, a significant part of fundraising and relationship building for the institution. During her time there, she developed and implemented new college-wide initiatives such as living-learning communities, the creation of a career center and advisory board, a mandatory first-year experience for all new students, Title IX training for the community, and the creation of the college’s hate/bias policy. She also founded and developed Lewis and Clark’s master’s program in student affairs administration and served as a core faculty member, program director and student adviser.

Prior to joining Lewis and Clark College, she served as associate vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. There Gonzalez was responsible for the development and implementation of strategic policies and procedures related to serving the co-curricular needs of the university’s 42,000 students. She also was directly responsible for the campus’ positive engagement around issues of diversity.

An active member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), the organization for student affairs professionals, Gonzalez serves on the board of directors for the organization. She has received both the Scott Goodnight Outstanding Performance as Dean award as well as the NASPA Pillars of the Profession award from the organization.

The Harvey Mudd College Division of Student Affairs, with its 19 staff members, is responsible for residential life, student activities, career services, health and wellness, institutional diversity, and community engagement.