UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The College of Earth and Mineral Sciences has named Victoria Sanchez the new associate dean for educational equity.
Sanchez started in her new role in January 2016, succeeding Ronald Redwing, who served from April 1, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2015. Prior to accepting the new role, Sanchez served as assistant vice provost for educational equity in the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, a role she held for more than eight years. In total, Sanchez has served in various roles at Penn State for nearly 20 years.
Sanchez said that she’s excited to join a college with a strong infrastructure for diversity, as recognized by its strong performance in A Framework to Foster Diversity, Penn State’s long-term framework for building a diverse, inclusive and equitable institution.
“I look forward to bringing my experience to work for the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences to further support the diversity efforts around the student body, staff, faculty and curriculum, and to develop and implement a more comprehensive strategic vision for diversity for the college,” Sanchez said.
Dean William Easterling said that the college is “thrilled to have a person of Dr. Sanchez’s caliber and level of accomplishment join the leadership of the college.”
Sanchez said she hopes to help the college excel as part of its new participation in the Millennium Scholars program, which is focused on encouraging undergraduate students to pursue advanced degrees in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In addition, the winter admissions process is in full swing, so recruiting and retaining students from diverse backgrounds is an immediate focus, she said.
“Dr. Sanchez enters her new job as associate dean of educational equity at a time when the college is redefining and reemphasizing its efforts to become more inclusive in its student body, staff and faculty,” Easterling said. “I look forward to seeing her put some of her outstanding ideas to work to improve the overall Penn State experience for underrepresented groups in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences.”
Sanchez earned her bachelor’s degree in English and mass communication from the University of Louisiana in 1988; her master’s degree in English from Ohio State University in 1990; and her doctorate in English from Ohio State University in 1995.