Akirah Bradley-Armstrong appointed vice chancellor for student life
Bradley-Armstrong was UCSC’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Photo courtesy of Akirah Bradley-Armstrong
Effective Oct. 19, Akirah Bradley-Armstrong will join the MIT community as the vice chancellor for student life. After earning her Doctor of Education degree from the University of California, Davis, she went on to hold a variety of student life leadership roles at several institutions.
She succeeds Suzy M. Nelson, who will retire late October after serving a decade in the post. In her new role, Armstrong will lead campus life initiatives by overseeing student well-being and support, organizations and events, and living communities.
In an email to The Tech, Jill Bassett, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, emphasized that student and Institute engagement was a central part of the national search process for the new vice chancellor. For instance, the committee, which included two undergraduate and two graduate students and the consulting firm Isaacson, Miller, reviewed survey submissions from and held over twenty listening sessions with the MIT community.
Regarding the qualities of an ideal candidate, the MIT Division of Student Life (DSL) stressed the ability to respond to the evolving needs of students, strengthen fiscal resilience and stewardship in a time of financial cutbacks, and work collaboratively across the university to support student success.
According to an email from Chancellor Nobles to the community, Bradley-Armstrong stood out with her “proven record of leading large, complex student affairs organizations and fostering vibrant campus communities.”
As the former Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success at the University of California, Santa Cruz, she piloted influential program changes such as the launch of the University of California system’s first campus mobile crisis response team and the establishment of a two-year housing guarantee.
Bassett added that, during Nelson’s term, the DSL has worked hard to be student-centered and stated that this trend will continue with Bradley-Armstrong.
“Leadership changes also bring opportunities for fresh ideas and new ways of thinking about the future. This is a moment when higher education is facing considerable change, and Akirah is well positioned to guide the division through any challenges,” Bassett wrote.