USC Upstate names three finalists in chancellor search

The search for the University of South Carolina Upstate’s next chancellor has been narrowed to three finalists.

“We have three highly-qualified candidates from which to choose the next chancellor for USC Upstate,” said Mary Anne Fitzpatrick, the University’s current interim chancellor and vice president for system planning at the University of South Carolina. “The great work that has been done this institution and the many successes that have been achieved played a vital hand in recruiting such a strong candidate pool.”

The three finalists are Dr. Brendan Kelly, vice president of university advancement at the University of West Florida; Dr. Cheryl D. Lovell, special advisor to the chancellor at the  Colorado State University System; and Dr. Warren Sandmann, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at William Patterson University. The finalists were selected from an initial pool of 59 applicants and after the search committee presented five candidates to the campus constituencies for consideration.

Dr. Brendan Kelly leads and manages the Division of University Advancement, which includes the units of University Marketing & Communications, Alumni Relations, Development, Community Engagement, University of West Florida Historic Trust and WUWF Public Media (NPR, serving the Gulf Coast from the UWF campus for 35 years). He is also a member of both the President’s Cabinet and Vice President’s Council. Dr. Kelly leads these departments to execute effective university-wide external community relations, as well as, devising and implementing all fundraising initiatives and campaigns. He also serves as President of the UWF Foundation, Inc. and sets the vision and manages the investments and business affairs of the Foundation. Prior to joining the Division of Advancement, Kelly was the director of the School of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts and chair of the Department of Communication Arts at UWF. He came to the University in 2004 as a faculty member and served as director of the nationally recognized UWF Speech and Debate program. Kelly earned a doctorate in rhetoric and political communication from Wayne State University in Detroit, a master’s degree in communication and a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Eastern Michigan University.

Dr. Cheryl D. Lovell provides leadership to the CSU System [which includes three universities: CSU at Fort Collins, CSU at Pueblo, and CSU Global Campus (a completely online university)] to maximize and explore system wide collaborations. She is focused on a variety of complex issues and opportunities related to academic programs, admission and enrollment management, faculty development, strategic partnerships, and operational efficiencies. The larger goal of Dr. Lovell’s work is to better serve students by increasing System productivity gained through collaborations and efficiencies while creating structures to monitor and report on programmatic, academic, and financial successes of these institutions and ultimately of the System as a whole. Previously Dr. Lovell was President and Chief Executive Officer of Rocky Vista University and now serves as President Emeritus and will continue to serve the university and help with the transition of the new President. Prior to RVU, Dr. Lovell served as the Chief Academic Officer for the State of Colorado with the Department of Higher Education. Lovell earned a Ph.D. in higher education from Florida State University with a dissertation on faculty conflict issues in the State University System of Florida. She earned a master’s degree in guidance and counseling for higher education and a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of West Georgia.

Dr. Warren Sandmann has extensive experience in curriculum development as both a faculty member and administrator, has developed programs at the department level, and has also developed curricular programs and managed the program development process at the university and state system level. As the chief academic officer at William Patterson University, which is home to approximately 11,000 students from the undergraduate to doctoral level and recently became a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Prior to this position, Sandmann served as Associate Provost and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Minnesota State University Mankato, and also served as Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Education, also at Minnesota State University Mankato. He has significant experience working in a shared governance/collective bargaining environment, both as a member of the union and faculty representative in shared governance, and as an administrator. Sandmann began his academic career as a faculty member and speech and debate coach at the State University of New York at Geneseo. Sandmann earned his Ph.D. in communication studies, with an emphasis in rhetorical studies, from the University of Iowa. He has a master’s degree in English and a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Minnesota State University.

“The Chancellor Search Committee will present the names of Dr. Brendan Kelly, Dr. Cheryl Lovell and Dr. Warren Sandmann to USC President Harris Pastides for his final selection and we are confident any one of whom could provide outstanding leadership to USC Upstate,”
said Dr. Kim Purdy, chairman of the chancellor search committee and chair of the psychology department at USC Upstate. “We anticipate having a new chancellor in place in the early part of 2017.”

“Dr. Kim Purdy has provided exemplary leadership in chairing the Chancellor Search Committee,” said Fitzpatrick. “Dr. Purdy and her committee have worked tirelessly in evaluating candidates from a significant applicant pool and I greatly appreciate the time, dedication and input of the committee members throughout this process.”

The new chancellor will replace Dr. Tom Moore who retired in July. To learn more about the chancellor search and the three finalists, visit www.uscupstate.edu/chancellorsearch or contact Dr. Kim Purdy at (864) 503-5779 or [email protected].

About USC Upstate

USC Upstate offers more than 40 bachelor’s degree programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business administration, nursing, and teacher education, and master’s degrees in education, informatics, and nursing. Among the fastest-growing universities in South Carolina, USC Upstate is a diverse and dynamic community of 6,000 students from across the Upstate, 36 states, and 15 countries. As a leading metropolitan universities in the Southeast, USC Upstate has its main campus in Spartanburg, two locations in Greenville, and a growing number of programs online.  The USC Upstate Spartans, which fields 17 varsity sports, compete on the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Nearly 26,000 alumni have earned degrees from USC Upstate and approximately 85 percent choose to remain in the Upstate region to build their lives and careers, making a significant impact of the region’s economy and quality of life. Learn more at www.uscupstate.edu.