Janina Montero, vice president of campus life and student services at Brown University, has been appointed as UCLA’s vice chancellor for student affairs effective July 1, Chancellor Albert Carnesale announced.
“Janina Montero’s superb credentials and strong commitment to enhancing the student experience make her ideally suited to the post of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs,� Carnesale said. “The entire UCLA family will benefit from her intelligence and expertise, and we look forward to her joining UCLA.�
Since January 2000, Montero has been the chief student affairs officer at Brown University, overseeing the Office of Student Life, the Student Activities Office, the Offices of Admission and Financial Aid, Athletics, Health Services and Psychological Services, the Chaplain and Religious Life, Residential Life, Food Services, The Sarah Doyle Women’s Center and the Third World Center.
“I’m excited at the opportunity of having such an extraordinary job,� Montero said.
Montero said she looks forward to working with students and staff throughout campus.
“I want to meet the challenges the state is encountering with budget issues in ways that are protective of the educational quality for students and the work of staff,� she said. “I want to look for ways to collaborate with the academic side of UCLA to make sure the overall experience for students is the best it can be.�
Montero succeeds Winston C. Doby, an educator and administrator at UCLA for more than 30 years, who last year became vice president for educational outreach for the University of California. Claudia Mitchell-Kernan, vice chancellor of graduate studies and dean of the Graduate Division, has been serving as interim vice chancellor for student affairs.
Montero, 55, was born in Italy and moved to Argentina when she was an infant. She grew up in Argentina and Uruguay.
Montero earned three degrees at the University of Pennsylvania — a bachelor’s degree in Spanish in 1968, a master’s degree in 1970 and a Ph.D. in Hispanic literature in 1973.
Montero worked at Wesleyan University from 1973 to 1993, serving as an assistant professor of Romance languages, assistant dean of the college, associate dean of the college, dean of studies and dean of the college. She served as the first dean of student life at Princeton University from 1993 until 2000, when she joined Brown University.
The mission of UCLA Student Affairs is to support the teaching, research, and public service functions of the university by providing programs, services, and educational experiences that promote the academic success of UCLA students and enhance the quality of campus life. These programs and services are geared toward supporting the mental, social, and physical growth and development needs of students in a healthy, safe, and intellectually challenging environment. The Student Affairs organization encompasses the Administrative Office of the Vice Chancellor and three major divisions — Division of Student Academic Services, Division of Student & Campus Life and Division of Student Development & Health.