What exactly does it take to transition a division of student online quickly for COVID19 closures? Dr. Wm. Gregory Sawyer, Vice President for Students Affairs at Sonoma State University, will walk us through his experiences and lessons learned during this challenging time. Additionally, he shares his own vulnerability and experiences navigating leadership as a Black man – I highly encourage you to read the acknowledgement of vulnerability he co-authored that is linked here.
Dr. Sawyer, or Doc as many call him (including me), has more accolades and experience that I can reasonably fit into this intro. He was the founding Vice President for Student Affairs at two institutions – CSU Channel Islands and Florida Gulf Coast University. Doc has served as a VPSA in the CSU System for almost 20 years. It’s not a surprise that he and his divisions have won awards – his divisions have been recognized as one of the nation’s Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs. Doc has been honored with the Ventura County NAACP President’s Award, ACPA Excellence in Practice Award, NASPA Pillar of the Profession, to name a few.
