Samuels to helm Student Services

By Boyd Fletcher
fletchar@mscd.edu

The only candidate for Metro's Vice President of Student Services was appointed to the position Nov. 11, and, pending an approval by Metro's Board of Trustees, will start in mid-January.

The board is expected to formally approve Metro President Stephen Jordan's appointment of Douglas Samuels at the next board meeting, Dec. 7, said Metro spokeswoman Cathy Lucas.

Samuels, currently a professor of Black Studies at Portland State University in Oregon, was recruited by President Jordan for the position last Spring. No other candidates were considered.

"Being the president of the largest undergraduate-only institution in the nation, he (Jordan) comes in contact with a lot of people," Lucas said. "And so Douglas Samuels was brought to his attention and that's when he went out to visit Portland State and met with him and also with faculty, staff and community leaders in Portland."

As V.P. of Student Services, Samuels will be in charge of the departments of student life, admissions, enrollment management, student academic success programs, and health and wellness. Samuels met with Metro faculty, staff, students and other leaders in October.

"Based on what he said he has in place at Portland State, he supports student leadership on campus and we were encouraged by that," said Dennis Bergquist, vice president of Metro's Student Government Assembly.

Despite several phone calls to his office at Portland State, Samuels could not be reached for comment.

Jordan said in a press release that Samuels would create an initiative to increase the graduation and retention rates of our student population.

"Douglas has the perfect blend of background, expertise and leadership that will guarantee Metro students receive top-notch services and meaningful co-curricular experiences as the college moves toward becoming the preeminent public urban baccalaureate college in the nation," said Jordan.

Samuels was the vice provost of student affairs at PSU from 2001 to October of this year, when he was appointed to the Black Studies department.

Samuels holds a doctorate of education in educational leadership and policy studies from the University of Vermont in Burlington and a master's and bachelor's degree from the State University of New York College at Buffalo.