Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Juan C. González has retired after serving in the role for three-and-a-half years.
“Vice Chancellor González has served UC San Diego with distinction, and has collaborated with campus, community, and systemwide partners to enact impactful initiatives that enhance and enrich the lives of all of our students,” reads a campus-wide email sent by Chancellor Khosla on November 27.
González served as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at several other universities for 22 years, including the University of Texas at Austin, Cal Poly, Arizona State University, Georgetown University, and Cal State San Bernardino.
During his tenure at UCSD, González helped to facilitate the creation of the Office of Student Retention and Success, as well as advocated for the campus to become a Hispanic-serving institution. He also assisted in the facilitation and creation of The Triton Concern Line, a service resource regarding students’ well-being; and The Triton Food Pantry, which assists students in food crisis.
According to Chancellor Khosla’s email, González also assisted in transforming the Sun God Festival into “a safe and fun concert experience for students” and guided the temporary relocation of the International Center. During his tenure, UC San Diego received an invitation to join the Big West Conference and move to Division I athletics.
During Winter 2017, González allocated $30,000 for the construction of The Hub, the new basic needs center on campus, according to Stephany Gonzalez, the Lead Student Manager of Triton Food Pantry.
“We are thankful that Vice Chancellor González shared the same mission and prioritized meeting student needs on our campus through his initiative, and are sad to hear about his retirement,” said Stephany Gonzalez. “Through his generosity, The Hub and the Triton Food Pantry will continue to serve students who face challenges such as housing insecurity, food insecurity, and financial emergencies…we are proud that Vice Chancellor González played an important role in helping us throughout the process.”
The Student Affairs staff will report directly to Executive Vice Chancellor Elizabeth Simmons before an Interim Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs is selected.
Cindy Zhan is a staff writer at The Triton.