In between bylaw revisions and debates over he-said-she-said conversations, a new dean of institutional effectiveness was announced at the Pierce College Academic Senate meeting on Monday.
Pierce College President Kathleen Burke introduced the new dean, Oleg Bespalov, as a new member in the Pierce family and outlined his qualifications in a staff email on Monday.
“Most recently, Oleg was the Associate Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment at Patten University, and before then served in various research roles at the San Jose – Evergreen Community College District, Bridgepoint Education, Temple University, Princeton University, and ETS,” Burke said.
Bespalov was introduced to the Senate by Earic Peters, vice president of Student Services, Monday’s meeting.
“We’re very, very happy to have him on board,” Peters said.
Bespalov was greeted with an applause from attendees at the meeting after the introduction.
“I do have to say, he started two days ago and got his Pierce College shirt. I started six months ago and still haven’t gotten a shirt,” Peters added with a laugh.
Bespalov is passionate about collaborating with faculty and staff on research and planning, and is excited to be a part of the Pierce community for years to come, Burke said.
At a dinner party recently, Bespalov was asked where he was working. When he answered with “Pierce,” he was told the college was called “UC Pierce.”
“So I said ‘No, it’s not a UC,’ and they said, ‘No, no we call it UC Pierce around here because it’s that good,’” Bespalov said.
Bespalov will be working with the college as chair of the College Planning Committee, according to Peters.
“I’ve realized the standards here are very high and I will work very, very hard to meet your high standards,” Bespalov said.
