Dear UVM Faculty, Staff, and Students:

As I announced on December 18, Vice Provost for Student Affairs Annie Stevens will be retiring at the end of January after more than 23 years of service to the University of Vermont. I hope you will all join in the celebration that will be held in Annie’s honor when we can all gather again in person.

I was able to give the Division of Student Affairs’ (DOSA) interim leadership needs considerable thought over the holiday break. Since our return, I’ve have had the opportunity to consult with a broad cross-section of our community including the DOSA leadership team, Student Government Association and Graduate Student Senate leaders, the Student Services Collaborative, the deans and other senior leaders, enrollment management and student success leadership, the leaders of the identity centers, and my own leadership team. I’m grateful for the thoughtful feedback that has given me a deeper appreciation of the many ways in which the Division of Student Affairs intersects with the rest of campus, the division’s valuable contributions to our university, and its scope and complexity.

I am appreciative of the talent within the Division of Student Affairs, and providing an outstanding student experience during a pandemic has proven to be a herculean task. As I considered the options for an interim leader at this critical time, I chose not to draw from our Student Affairs leaders as they are needed in their current roles to support the success of our students university-wide. Additionally, chief among the Academic Success Goals that I have established for the university is the integration of our academic and co-curricular experiences. This interim appointment provides an excellent opportunity to begin that integration by incorporating an experienced academic leader with a strong student success focus into the division.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Erica Caloiero as Interim Vice Provost for Student Affairs effective February 1. Erica is currently the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences. Having worked in a key academic position at UVM for over a decade, she has deep knowledge of both the academic and student affairs components of student development and the student experience. She is a collaborator, a strategic thinker, and has a strong commitment to the work of equity, diversity, and inclusion. Before coming to UVM Erica directed the study abroad program at Lehigh University, where she established models for crisis communication, collaborative program-building, and increasing access for underrepresented populations. She has experience with change management, is action oriented but a good listener, and is an effective problem solver. Erica also understands the human side of the complex issues facing students, staff, and faculty. Her strategic insights and perspectives will support immediate progress integrating the academic and co-curricular experience.

We will conduct a national search that includes on-campus interviews to identify a permanent leader for the division. The pandemic won’t allow for that immediately, but I anticipate initiating the search sometime during the 2021-22 academic year, and having a permanent leader in place on July 1, 2022.