Student Affairs No 2 to leave LA

Denzil Suite, USC’s associate vice president for Student Affairs, will serve as the University of Washington Vice President for Student Life starting July 29, pending approval from the university’s board of regents, UW announced May 23.

Movin’ on · USC associate vice president for Student Affairs Denzil Suite wil start at the University of Washington on July 29. – Photo courtesy of USC

This follows Michael L. Jackson, USC’s vice president for Student Affairs for nearly two decades, February announcement that he would retire. Suite has held the No. 2 position under Jackson.

Student Affairs includes departments ranging from Student Publications, which oversees the Daily Trojan, to Greek Life, as well as the Office for International Students, El Centro Chicano, the Center for Black Cultural and Student Affairs and the Asian Pacific American Student Services.

The Provost’s Office will make several structural changes to Student Affairs effective for 2013-14, following a yearlong review.

Suite, who holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Organization from USC, has worked at USC since 2003, and served as associate dean of Student Affairs from 2000 to 2001. He served as dean for Student Affairs at UC Santa Cruz between 2001 and 2003 and has also worked at the Student Affairs departments at Berkeley and UCLA.

“When I got [to Santa Cruz], I was very enthusiastic … but USC recruited me back with a better position,” Suite said. “This isn’t the same situation. I’m planning on putting my roots down in Seattle.”

Suite spoke of his desire to move on and lead UW’s student affairs department and helping students on campus.

“Every person I met [at UW] really made me feel like I belong,” Suite said. “It’s very bittersweet because I’m a Trojan and I’ve loved my time here, but I’ll be a Huskie now.”

Suite’s annual salary at UW will be $250,000, according to a statement from the university.

“The people here are wonderful and I’ve loved my time at USC,” Suite said. “I’ll certainly miss the students, the faculty, the staff, the campus … and the ability to golf year-round.”