Arizona State University is rewriting what it means to be a university with a mission to serve its students and beyond, from new ways to open access to higher education, to innovative ways to make a college stalwart — the football stadium — into a community gathering place year-round.
To further support strategic goals such as these, three leaders in the ASU community will take on new and expanded roles.
Christine Wilkinson, Colleen Jennings-Roggensack and Katie Paquet will each assume new responsibilities, effective immediately.
Wilkinson, ASU’s senior vice president, secretary of the university and president of the ASU Alumni Association, will be playing a pivotal role in spearheading fundraising efforts around two of the key components of the Campaign ASU 2020 objectives: ensuring student access and excellence, and championing student success. Campaign ASU 2020 is a university-wide philanthropic effort with a goal to raise at least $1.5 billion for the enterprise over the next three years. Wilkinson will also take charge of the new Office of University Ceremonies and Events, overseeing, among other things, the preparation, protocol and execution of major gatherings like commencement.
Wilkinson has served the university in a multitude of roles for 47 years, including as the vice president of Student Affairs and as the interim athletic director. She holds a tenured faculty position in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and was recently inducted into the Arizona Women’s Hall of Fame.
Jennings-Roggensack has been named vice president for cultural affairs at ASU and will remain the executive director of ASU Gammage, the premiere performing arts venue in Arizona. In her role, Jennings-Roggensack will lead Sun Devil Stadium 365, a university-wide initiative to reimagine and redesign the use of Sun Devil Stadium as a community union used 365 days a year by faculty, staff, students and the entire Arizona community for events and activities beyond athletics. She will also continue her work connecting ASU and the community through the arts.
Jennings-Roggensack was nominated by President Bill Clinton to serve on the National Council on the Arts, which she did from 1994 to 1997. She served as an ambassador for the arts for the National Council on the Arts until 2004. She has held positions at Dartmouth College and Colorado State University and chairs the Broadway League's Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She is also Arizona’s only Tony voter.
Katie Paquet, currently the deputy chief of staff in the Office of the President at ASU, has been named the vice president for media relations and strategic communications, overseeing the creation of print, photo and video stories about the university and engaging with media outlets to proactively communicate the success and work of our students, faculty and staff.
Prior to joining ASU, Paquet was the vice president of public affairs and external relations for the Arizona Board of Regents. She oversaw all communications and government relations activities for the board, serving as a liaison with media, policymakers, and the business, civic and educational community.
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“I look forward to championing Campaign ASU 2020 through the Ensuring Student Access and Excellence and Championing Student Success objectives," said Christine Wilkinson. "In particular I’m excited to focus increasing aid for student scholarships, which are critical to so many of our future and present students.”
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"I think what is the most critical is my responsibility overseeing Sun Devil Stadium 365," said Colleen Jennings-Roggensack. "It will be a place where all of the community is welcome, a place where our faculty and staff and students are welcome, and a place where innovation will occur, thinking will occur, fun will occur — and that's really a huge, new, big responsibility."
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"Telling ASU's story is such an exciting assignment because of the breadth of excellence and innovation happening throughout the university," said Katie Paquet. "I truly believe in the model for the New American University and am thrilled to help share the good work being done by ASU faculty, students and staff across our campuses and around the world."
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