With the departure of two top administrators within the Student Affairs department, there will be many changes to the structure of the department’s administration.
Edward Wiesmeier, the assistant vice chancellor of Student Development and Health, will soon retire, and Soncia Lilly, the assistant vice chancellor of student affairs, will also be leaving the department. Due to the loss of these two administrators, the Student Affairs department will soon face a shift in administrative positions.
Janina Montero, vice chancellor of student affairs, will be organizing the changes and said they should be fully implemented by July 1.
The Student Affairs department is responsible for school programs that impact student life, such as the Center for Student Programming, health education, Student Loan Services and the Center for Women and Men.
Due to the shuffling of positions, two positions within the Department of Student Affairs are open for hire – director of Student Psychological Services and director of the Dashew International Center.
The committees responsible for the selection of the new directors are currently in place and accepting applications, Montero said.
With the upcoming changes, Student Psychological Services will receive a new director and assistant vice chancellor to oversee the program.
“I think that there’s a lot of excitement for the commencement of the search (for the SPS director). Student Psychological Services and the Ashe Center work closely together, and I think the center is looking forward to having a director in place so the organizations can look forward to collaborating,” said Pam Viele, the current director of student health education at the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center.
Viele, who will become the interim executive director of student development in July, said she is looking forward to many of the transitions that will be taking place in the Student Affairs department.
Student Psychological Services, which is currently under Wiesmeier’s jurisdiction, will be moved under the supervision of Robert Naples, assistant vice chancellor of Student and Campus Life.
Changing the oversight of Student Psychological Services will allow it to interact better with the other programs within the Student Affairs department, Naples said.
Student Psychological Services will now be able to interact more closely with the UCLA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Campus Center, the Office of Residential Life and the Center for Student Programming, he said.
“I don’t think there will be any major impact on the delivery of services to students during the transition for all of the administrators,” Naples said. “The fact that we’re moving around some departments under different assistant vice chancellors will not make a difference.”
Administrators said the upcoming departmental changes will minimally impact students and should be positive for the department.
“I think (the changes) will impact the department positively. Organizationally, we will be able to serve students more effectively. ... It aligns the organizational structure to more effectively achieve the goals of our strategic plan,” Viele said.