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December 9, 2024
Patricia M. Lampkin will become Northwestern University’s interim vice president for Student Affairs beginning Aug. 1, the University announced today. Lampkin served as vice president and chief student affairs officer at the University of Virginia (UVA) until she retired in 2021. She spent four decades at UVA, the last 19 as vice president.
Lampkin will take over for Vice President for Student Affairs Julie Payne-Kirchmeier, who announced last month that she would leave Northwestern this summer to become vice president for student success for the Indiana University system. Northwestern will appoint a search committee to find Payne-Kirchmeier’s permanent successor. The next vice president will serve under Northwestern’s 17th president, Rebecca M. Blank, who will take office Sept. 1.
“We are delighted that Pat Lampkin will work alongside our Student Affairs professionals through the transition period,” said Provost Kathleen Hagerty, whose office oversees many of Northwestern’s senior-level searches. “We already have begun laying the foundation for the search for Northwestern’s next vice president for Student Affairs and expect to name a search committee soon. We will provide numerous opportunities for members of the University community to provide input on the qualities and experiences they wish to see in a future leader.”
During her time at UVA, Lampkin was praised for creating opportunities for student leadership development and strengthening the university’s system of student self-governance, but also for her love for what she did.
“I have always viewed Student Affairs as the heart and soul of any institution of higher education — the place where we help shape rich student experiences,” Lampkin said. “It’s a partnership in which students are integral to our success. It doesn’t happen, however, without the relationships and everyday hard work of Student Affairs professionals.”
Lampkin worked closely with UVA’s student-run University Judiciary Committee, Honor Committee and Student Council to assist those groups in fulfilling their roles and responsibilities in resolving critical issues. She also co-led the COVID Contingency Policy Committee and served as a member of the Logistics and Operations Committee, Testing and Protocols, Isolation and Quarantine and Care Teams until she retired in March 2021.
“Working in Student Affairs has been my life’s work and has given me great joy and satisfaction,” Lampkin said. “This unexpected — and extraordinary — opportunity to serve at Northwestern will allow me to get to know a new Student Affairs team and help guide them through the critical transition of institutional leadership so that the student experience does not miss a beat.”
An Illinois native who grew up in Decatur, Lampkin earned her doctorate in education from UVA in 1986. She and her husband, Wayne Cozart, who also retired from UVA, will temporarily move to Evanston, giving Lampkin another great opportunity — she will get to live in the same town as her oldest brother for the first time since both went off to college.
