Finalists will interview April 19-21 for Vice President for Student Affairs position

Three finalists have been invited to campus to interview for Vice President for Student Affairs position.

An interview schedule for each candidate is available online.

Open forums are set for April 18-21. The schedule follows.

• Cynthia Aguilar, Tuesday, April 19, 3:30 p.m., Education 113
• James Williams, Wednesday, April 20, 3:30 p.m., Education 113
• Gary Dukes, Thursday, April 21, 3:30 p.m., Education 113.

Cynthia Aguilar

Cynthia Aguilar has over 12 years of higher education leadership and management experience in student affairs, learning development, grant programs, change management, and strategic planning. She has demonstrated the ability to work in a multi-departmental organization, provide support, and leverage resources to enhance student success.

Aguilar started her education career as a bilingual elementary teacher. Her next role as a testing coordinator for the school district allowed her to work with staff in higher education. She fell in love with student affairs and was named the founding director of college readiness for El Paso Community College.  Aguilar oversaw the El Paso County Readiness Initiative, college peer mentors, recruitment, Gateway to College at-risk high school programming, vertical curriculum alignment, college transition, new student orientation, placement, and academic testing services.  She also served on various committees across the college, including the enrollment services task force and the program review committee.

Aguilar joined Dallas College in March of 2019 as the dean of student success, overseeing student life, student engagement, Title IX, student rights and responsibilities, accessibility services, career and transfer services, CARE team, academic advising, student well-being, health center, food and clothing closet, and the counseling center. She would serve an instrumental role in unifying seven colleges into one college district. Under her leadership, the college district implemented the student basic needs and wellness programs and assisted in developing a new policy for the student code of conduct.  She is completing a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership, holds a Master of Education, and a Bachelor of Liberal Arts.

Aguilar was born to immigrant parents and was raised in El Paso, Texas, and is the first in her family to attend college. Her passion is to help eradicate generational poverty and create programming to help students succeed in their academic and personal goals.

James Williams

Dr. Jim Williams is currently Senior Vice President for Student Affairs at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. He has also served as Associate Provost for Enrollment Management and Vice President for Strategic Partnerships. Dr. Williams has taught at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and presently holds faculty rank as associate professor within the Teachers College.

Jim is active in the profession through participation in AASCU Studies, international partnership development, the ACT Kansas Board of Directors, and service within the NASPA IV-West Region. He is known for his willingness to assist student affairs colleagues by providing assessment and review of division operations. Jim completed terms on the Kansas City Area Regional Development Higher Education Task Force and on the Flint Hills Regional Economic Development Council. Within the Emporia community, Jim is the current Vice Chair of the Newman Regional Health Hospital Board. He has served as a trustee for Flint Hills Technical College and as a board member for both the Emporia Area Chamber of Commerce and the SOS Domestic Violence Prevention Board of Directors.

Jim earned his B.S. in Management from Keene State College in New Hampshire, his M.B.A. from the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and his M.Ed. in Education Administration from South Dakota State University. He completed his Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership at the University of Kansas.

Gary Dukes

Dr. Gary Dukes has worked in higher education for over 30 years and has been a vice president for student affairs for the last 18 years. As a low-income, first-generation college student, Dukes is passionate in helping students overcome the barriers he experienced when he was an undergraduate. He currently serves as the vice president for student affairs at Western Oregon University, an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution. His portfolio in this position includes admissions, financial aid, campus recreation, Werner University Center, university housing, campus dining, and more than 20 other departments.

Past roles for Dukes include serving as the dean of student life and development at Colorado State University – Pueblo, an Hispanic Serving Institution, the director of housing administration and residence life at Southern Oregon University, an area coordinator at the University of Washington, the assistant director of new student and parent programs at Georgia Institute of Technology, and in several graduate assistant positions at the University of Vermont.

Dukes grew up in Oregon where he attended Oregon State University and received his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. He went on to attend the University of Vermont where he received his Master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration. He completed his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Washington.