Dear Colleagues,
I’m afraid the subject line is not an early April Fool prank. It is with decidedly mixed feelings that I write to let you know that Associate Chancellor Chris Span was introduced earlier today as the next dean of the Graduate School of Education at Rutgers University New Brunswick. Chris will begin this new appointment on July 1. I am working with him to determine when he will formally conclude his responsibilities in my office. I will be sharing that information as well as my interim transition plans in the coming weeks.
Chris’ tenure at Illinois has taken him through a progression of increasing responsibility at departmental, college and central administrative roles that I am certain made the Rutgers decision a very easy one. I have had the pleasure of working closely with Chris since 2021 when he joined my office as Chief of Staff and Associate Chancellor for Administration and PreK-12 Initiatives. In that time, the only thing longer than his title is the list of responsibilities he has taken on for our university. His wisdom, patience, good humor and a seemingly nondepletable catalog of personal stories have established him as a trusted partner with virtually every part of our university community.
I am sorry to see him leave our university, but I think we all understand that there are opportunities in your career that are just too good to turn down. I guess the only remaining question is whether his appointment as a dean will require CSpan to change his name to DSpan?
Please join me in congratulating Chris on this exciting new leadership position.
Sincerely,
Robert J. Jones
Chancellor