Frank Sanchez leaves Adams State College for post at CU-Denver (05-18-05)
After six years at the helm of student services at Adams State College, Frank Sanchez will be leaving the school to work at University of Colorado - Denver and Health Science Center.
"It was a difficult decision," Sanchez said. "There are positive changes going on here at Adams. In a very real way, Adams State changes the lives of students for the better, and I am blessed to have been a part of it."
Sanchez said he became interested in pursuing a career in student services when he was an undergraduate student at the University of Nebraska.
"I was active in student government and protested with groups of students against the administration at the university," Sanchez said. "It's interesting that I would go from protesting the administration to becoming part of an administration. When we were protesting, what went through my mind was if I were in their shoes, I would be working with the students instead of locked up in their ivory tower."
It was at the University of Nebraska, where he majored in psychology with a minor in Chicano studies, that Sanchez realized he could make a difference by helping students succeed and improving the campus experience for all students.
"I am energized and inspired by the college environment," Sanchez said. "There's so much life and so much change, and students are realizing their potential as leaders." After leaving the University of Nebraska, Sanchez earned his master's degree in student affairs in higher education at the Colorado State University, and his doctorate in higher education administration at Indiana University.
Sanchez said his experience as an undergraduate student motivated him to work at Adams State to make the administration receptive to student concerns.
"Coming in, I was charged with improving student success and retention," Sanchez said. "During the past four years, we've made improvements."
Sanchez said one way he and the college have improved student retention is by developing a peer system with incoming freshmen, where the students take classes, study together, and live in the same dorms based on their academic interests. Sanchez said a result of the peer groups, or learning communities, has an impact beyond easing a beginning student's transition to college.
"The research is clear," Sanchez said. "The better institutions can help students with their social and academic transition, the more likely they will improve student success and graduation rates."
Sanchez said he will use the initiatives developed at Adams State in his new position of associate vice chancellor for enrollment and student affairs at CU-Denver. "They want to develop similar programs that will strengthen enrollment and improve the quality of the undergraduate experience." Sanchez said.
At CU-Denver, with a population of approximately 12,000 students, Sanchez will have responsibility for admissions and recruitment, student success programs, student life, and community enrichment activities.
Mark Heckler, provost for CU-Denver's Health Science Center, said he feels Sanchez' experience will enhance the university's programs.
"Doctor Sanchez brings direct experience in all facets of the student affairs enterprise, most recently leading a significant and positive turnaround in the enrollment management division at Adams State College," Heckler said. "We will see a positive and mutually supportive and interactive relationship grow among our academic and student affairs programs as a result."
Sanchez said the students and mission of Adams State will always remain special to him.
"I'm going to miss being part of a community that makes an investment in people's lives," he said. Sanchez said the type of students who attend Adams State, many of whom are non-traditional or first-generation students, makes the campus environment unique.
"That's what makes Adams so exciting and the work we do so important," he said. "No question, that's what I'm going to miss."
Adams State President Richard A. Wueste said there has probably never been a stronger advocate for students at the college.
"Frank never, ever saw students as a statistic or a number," Wueste said. "He sees them as real human beings, and he cares about them. That's why we'll miss him deeply.
"This is a fantastic career opportunity," Wueste said. "I know Frank has his heart at Adams State."
