WSU Spokane Names Peter Gitau Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
Peter Gitau will be the new vice chancellor for student affairs, student health and equity, diversity and inclusion at Washington State University’s Spokane campus.
Gitau will lead the campus student affairs office, including admissions, financial aid, support services, and student-focused programming for approximately 1,400 students in Spokane and Yakima. You will also be responsible for working with leaders from health science colleges and across the WSU system to support and enhance the student experience. Additionally, you will be responsible for actively engaging and leading efforts to support health equity, diversity and inclusion for health science students and liaising with the Vice-Chancellor of Academic Affairs in areas that impact faculty and staff .
“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Gitau to WSU Spokane,” said Daryll DeWald, chancellor of WSU Spokane and executive vice president of WSU Health Sciences. “Dr. Gitau’s wealth of experience as a contributor and builder in higher education makes him a welcome addition to our Health Sciences leadership team.”
With more than 20 years of higher education experience, Gitau was most recently Vice President for Student Services at Butte-Glenn Community College in Oroville, California, where he provided the leadership that reversed the decade-long decline in college enrollment. He has also held executive leadership positions at Utah Technical University, Northern Kentucky University, and Southern Illinois University, where he oversaw comprehensive student affairs departments, managed complex capital projects, and developed cross-divisional initiatives for student enrollment and success. students.
Born and raised in Kenya, Gitau received his BA in Secondary Education from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya. As an international student, he holds a master’s degree in education administration from Eastern Illinois University and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of Kansas.
In addition to his academic career, Gitau is the founder and president of the African International Foundation for Educational Excellence (AIFEE), a non-profit organization with service learning sites and community development initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa. In this role, Gitau has facilitated the international engagement of hundreds of students, faculty, staff and community members. He is also the founder of Diversity and Leadership International (DLI), a career consultancy.
“WSU is a dynamic, globally engaged, student-focused institution with many opportunities to make a difference,” said Gitau. “I am thrilled to be joining an incredible team of peers with a passion to see every student succeed.”
