Dear Campus Community,
I am delighted to share updates regarding two of our senior leadership positions — Chief of Staff and Vice President for Research and Innovation.
On June 1, Shawn Whalen will join SJSU as the Chief of Staff and Senior Associate Vice President. Shawn has extensive experience in higher education, and most recently served as the program director for the College Futures Foundation, where he supervised more than $80 million in grantmaking to advance efforts to improve student success and close equity gaps. Shawn also serves as a Commissioner for the Western Association of Schools and Colleges – Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and is currently the co-chair of the Commission’s Equity and Inclusion Council and a member of the Executive Committee.
This is a return to the CSU for Shawn, who previously served as Chief of Staff, and is a professor emeritus of Communication Studies, at San Francisco State University. Shawn received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from San Diego State University and completed Ph.D. coursework at the University of Utah.
I look forward to welcoming Shawn to the SJSU community. I am thankful that Interim Chief of Staff Jennifer Malutta has agreed to remain at SJSU until May 31 to assist in the transition.
Continuing the momentum our Division of Research and Innovation has built over the past five years is a top priority as we prepare for Vice President for Research and Innovation Mohamed Abousalem’s departure on May 17. I am pleased to announce that Marc d’Alarcao, dean of the College of Graduate Studies, will also serve as the Interim Vice President for Research and Innovation, effective May 20. In his interim capacity, Marc will serve as a Cabinet member, and as the Dean of Graduate Studies, he will remain a member of the Provost’s Leadership team.
Marc has served as the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies since its inception in 2019, and has been with SJSU since 2007. Marc has an extensive background in research in his more than 30-year career in higher education, including serving as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Science prior to becoming dean of the College of Graduate Studies. Marc has also been a member of the Board of Directors of the SJSU Research Foundation for the past 11 years.
Marc and Mohamed have worked closely together on many initiatives over the past five years, and I appreciate Marc’s willingness to lead our outstanding Research and Innovation team as we continue to progress toward becoming a R2 institution and provide resources for our Spartan entrepreneurs through SpartUp.
We are the epicenter of the future, and I am confident Shawn and Marc’s leadership will propel SJSU’s mission, vision and values forward.
Sincerely,
Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson
President
(She/Her/Ella)
