After an extensive nationwide search, California State University, Dominguez Hills President Mildred García has announced the selection of Ramon Torrecilha as the university’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. He will begin the position on February 20.
“I am pleased that Dr. Torrecilha will be joining the CSU Dominguez Hills community as its provost and vice president for academic affairs,” said García. “Dr. Torrecilha brings with him a wealth of experience and a strong track record of working collaboratively across divisions and in the external community to develop innovative programs that benefit students. He is a respected professional in the field of higher education, and I am confident he will serve this university well for many years to come.”
The provost and vice president of academic affairs is a key position in the university administration, responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of the university’s academic vision. Torrecilha will oversee all academic-related divisions, programs and activities, including recruitment and retention of faculty, with the goal of ensuring that teaching and research at CSU Dominguez Hills meets the highest academic standard, and that the university offers a high quality of academic programs to attract, retain and graduate students. The position of provost also serves as the second highest-ranking administrator for the university.
Torrecilha comes to CSU Dominguez Hills from Mills College in Oakland, where he has worked since 2005 and, prior to that, from 1997 to 2003. He has served a number of administrative capacities at Mills, including as acting president in 2010 and 2007, and most recently the college’s executive vice president. He has managed the budget planning process for the $70 million private liberal arts college, led the strategic planning process, implemented strategies to increase first-year retention, and fostered partnerships with local school districts, organizations and corporation to support the college’s educational mission.
From 2003 to 2005 he was provost and executive vice president at Berkeley College, a private four-year institution in the New York region. There he established a number of programs and initiatives dealing with student learning outcomes, retention and recruitment, led the implementation of new online degree programs, and coordinated a college-wide faculty development program.
In 2010, he was elected to a three-year term on the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, which evaluates the quality and effectiveness of colleges and universities in the western United States. He is also a consultant with Academic Search, which works with institutions in higher education in their search for presidents and senior administrators.
Torrecilha earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology from Portland State University, and his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was assistant professor of sociology at the University of California Irvine, and held the position of program director for both the American Sociological Association and the Social Science Research Council.
