Provost Russell Moore announced today that Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Akirah Bradley-Armstrong has accepted the post of vice chancellor for student affairs and success at the University of California Santa Cruz. Bradley-Armstrong will finish most of the spring semester at CU Boulder. Her last day will be April 1. Moore plans to announce an interim leader and a process to name a permanent successor to lead the student affairs division later in the spring.
“I want to thank Akirah for her outstanding leadership of our Student Affairs division,” said Moore. “In every role she has played in the division, Akirah has brought vision, purpose and an abundant warmth and humanity to the mission of serving students and working in partnership with faculty and staff. We wish her well at UC Santa Cruz.”
Moore recognized Bradley-Armstrong for her leadership in a number of significant Student Affairs milestones, which include the following:
- Began serving as vice chancellor in January 2020, at the start of the pandemic. Her leadership throughout was collaborative, student-focused and helped the Student Affairs division weather significant financial impacts.
- Served with Senior Vice Provost for Academic Planning and Assessment Katherine Eggert, Senior Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief Communications Officer Jon Leslie and Senior Associate Vice Chancellor for IT and CIO Marin Stanek to initiate and lead the Buffs Undergraduate Success Leadership Implementation Team (BUS-LIT).
- Led the transformation of Hallett Hall into the Social Justice Living Environment in 2017, with the addition of two new Living and Learning Communities (LLCs), the Lucile B. Buchanan LLC and Multicultural Perspectives LLC, established to better support underrepresented students.
- Led the creation of the Housing Master Plan to guide housing and resident support needs for the next 10 years and provide a framework for campus housing plans for the next 30 years.
- Oversaw the 2019 opening of the new Williams Village East residence hall.
- Served as faculty affiliate in the Masters of Higher Education program with the School of Education.
Bradley-Armostrong began her work at CU Boulder in 2016 in the role of dean of students and also held the position associate vice chancellor in Student Affairs, managing student operations and auxiliaries. Prior to her work at CU Boulder, Bradley worked as a student affairs leader at the University of California, Berkeley, for Semester at Sea and at the University of Vermont. She is currently a faculty affiliate and lecturer in CU Boulder’s Masters in Higher Education program and has published several articles in higher education journals and books.
“It’s been an absolute privilege to work with and for the staff, faculty and students who make up our campus community at CU Boulder,” said Bradley-Armstrong. “I’m incredibly proud of the progress we've made and the work we have done in supporting our students who overcome challenges on a daily basis. The CU community has taught me so much during my time here, and these experiences have helped influence my professional growth. I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had during the past six years at CU as a Buff, and I will take these lessons with me on the next step of my journey.”
Bradley-Armstrong earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, a Master of Education degree in higher education student affairs administration from the University of Vermont and a doctoral degree in educational leadership from the University of California, Davis
