Cleveland State University has found its new president in Harlan Sands, who's spent two decades in the world of higher education. Sands spent that time at urban universities, which he says face unique challenges.
Urban colleges and universities play a multifaceted role in their communities, says Cleveland State’s new president, Harlan Sands.
“It’s about access, it’s about student success, it’s about jobs.”
Sands has spent his career in cities including Birmingham, Louisville and Philadelphia, and says in order to succeed in an urban setting, higher education institutions must be intimately linked to the future success of their cities. But they must also recognize the unique challenges their students face.
“We have a commitment to all of the students that we bring in that we’re going to get them through, and we’ve got to figure out what those wrap-around services are, the ones that we need to invest in so that those students can feel confident that they’re getting the support they need.”
Sands says he wants to create a sense of individualized learning for CSU students.
His tenure begins July 1.
