DeKALB — The search for NIU’s next Vice President of Student Affairs begins Monday as NIU invites Gayle Ward from Rush University as the first interviewee in the weeks-long process.

Ward currently serves as the Vice Provost Student Affairs at Rush University, a private research university in Chicago. He has held the position since 2019. 

Ward began his stint at Rush University in 2011 as Associate Provost Student Affairs before being promoted to Senior Associate Provost Educational Affairs in 2016. His responsibilities include overseeing a multi-million academic support operations budget and managing day-to-day operations.

His higher education administrative experience began in 1994 at the University of Illinois at Chicago, assuming the role of recruitment and admission coordinator. Ward’s later jobs working for DePaul University and City Colleges of Chicago eventually led him to his current institution at Rush.

Ward’s academic pursuits have sent him to three different universities within the state of Illinois. Ward graduated from Western Illinois University in Macomb with a bachelor’s degree and later a master of arts from UIC. He most recently earned a Juris Doctorate at DePaul.

His decorated professional career is accompanied by a share of awards and accolades. His most recent award came in 2020 after being honored with the Paula J. Brown Service Award for Diversity Mentoring.

The committee’s search process will kick off Monday with a days-worth of events scheduled for Ward. Monday’s schedule will begin with a breakfast with senior round table and deans at 7:45 a.m. in the Holmes Student Center Sky Room.

Ward will participate in meetings from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. before having lunch with student leaders from various facets of campus life beginning at 11:45 a.m. Another trio of meetings will follow Monday’s lunch from 1:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.

An hour-long open forum will be held from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday’s schedule of events will conclude with a discussion with leadership from Student Government Association beginning at 4:45 p.m. and ending at 5:15 p.m.

The second day of the search process commences Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. for a second breakfast session with the search committee. A series of meetings and interactions will follow until Ward’s campus tour at 10 a.m. The process will end with a lunch from noon to 1 p.m. and an exit interview from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.