The three-month search to replace former Vice Provost for Student Affairs James Montoya is now over.

Gene Awakuni, vice president for student services at Columbia University, will take over the position early next year, President John Hennessy announced recently. In the meantime, Awakuni will meet with students for the first time later this month, during Convocation.

"I am delighted that [he] has accepted our offer to become Stanford's next vice provost for student affairs," Hennessy said. "Gene brings an extraordinary combination of intelligence, academic credentials and breadth of experience to the job. He is considered a national leader in the area of student affairs and has earned the deep respect of undergraduates, graduate students and professional colleagues with whom he has worked."

Awakuni has specialized in student affairs since 1988, when he became special assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of California-Irvine. His responsibilities grew when he was recruited to the University of California-Santa Barbara, and then to California State Polytechnic University, where he served as vice president for student affairs. At Cal Poly, Awakuni estimates he helped the university garner $10 million in grants for causes that ranged from drug and alcohol prevention to AmeriCorps Volunteer Services.

In July 2000, Awakuni was recruited to Columbia. He believes his responsibilities at Stanford will be similar to those he now holds at Columbia, where he has a base budget of about $50 million and oversees 500 employees.

"It was clear to the search committee that Gene has both the vision to think creatively about student life as well as the strategic skills to consolidate Stanford's strengths and implement initiatives that reflect his vision," Hennessy said. "The provost and I look forward to working with Gene in this area of critical importance to the university."

The search for a vice provost for student affairs began last spring, after Montoya announced he would leave Stanford to serve as vice president of the College Board. Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education John Bravman has been serving in the position on an interim basis. Bravman will continue in that capacity until Awakuni comes on board Jan. 2.

The search committee, which Bravman chaired, sifted through more than 50 applicants and eventually narrowed the field to five finalists.

"I think he just kind of emerged from the pool as a very strong candidate," said Wendelin Wright, a doctoral candidate in materials science and engineering who served on the selection committee. "It was obvious to me that he has a sincere interest in students and their well-being.

"We were just very impressed with his ideas and the experience he has had. He's obviously a talented administrator and he already has a deep understanding of some of the most difficult issues we face at Stanford."

Among those issues, she said, are housing and health care. Currently, Awakuni is working on a student health care plan at Columbia and a project to improve primary care. While at UC-Irvine in the 1980s, he helped build one of the first residential education programs in the country.

"I think I have a good track record," he said, explaining that he has overseen health and housing services for the past eight years. "It's an area that I know very well."

In the year he has been at Columbia, Awakuni has managed to make a good impression among administrators and students, said Nina Bambina, a doctoral student in sociology who chairs the graduate student advisory council there.

"He's really been a great asset," she said, explaining that the amount of student involvement in planning and decision-making has increased substantially since Awakuni's arrival. "I think everyone who worked with him is really going to miss him. He's very open and approachable, which is sometimes rare for upper-level administrators. He genuinely cares about students."

Awakuni said his philosophy is "to provide the best possible service to students." One way he has helped identify students' needs is through the classroom setting, where he occasionally teaches courses on psychology and multiculturalism. He recently co-authored a book on the subject titled Resistance to Multiculturalism: Issues and Interventions.

"I feel like being in a classroom helps me understand the students from a different vantage point," he explained.

Having a background in multiculturalism also helps enhance the work he does, Awakuni said. He got started in administrative work while a psychologist at UC-Irvine, where he helped calm racial tensions through conflict mediation. He holds Ed.D. and Ed.M. degrees in counseling and consulting psychology from Harvard University, as well as an M.S.W. in clinical social work and a B.A. in political science from the University of Hawaii-Manoa.

One reason for leaving Columbia so soon, Awakuni said, is that his wife and son still live in Southern California. For the past year he has been commuting across the country every other weekend to be with his family. They are all excited about moving to Palo Alto, he said.

But he also is looking forward to helping shape new projects at Stanford, such as the career center and the health services building.

"As I walked onto the campus, I was just amazed," he said. "I'll get to work with the best and the brightest students from all over the world. Stanford is an extraordinary place."

Gene Awakuni
Photo: Courtesy of Columbia University

Bravman named acting vice provost for student affairs: 7/25/01

Committee named to search for Montoya's replacement: 5/16/01

Montoya to step down in June for new position at College Board: 4/11/01

Montoya to succeed Edmonds as vice provost of student affairs: 4/19/97

Columbia: Gene I. Awakuni Appointed Vice President of Student Services 8/29/00