Welcome Pakou Yang, Interim System Director of P-20

Please join me in welcoming Pakou Vang to Academic and Student Affairs.  Pakou Yang from Century College has been selected to serve as interim system director of P-20 and college readiness, a one-year appointment that began on August 13.  I am confident you will enjoy working with Pakou Yang.  Pakou has worked for 11 years at Century, where she started as a faculty member in the Communication Department.  Since then, she has served as dean and, most recently, as interim vice president of academic affairs. In her tenure as dean, she co-lead the college readiness and access partnerships with K12 and brings to this considerable knowledge and experience in the areas of assessment for course placement, credit for prior learning, and developmental education. She has also been an active leader in many initiatives at Century College, including diversity and equity, global education, and student success.

Pakou has a BA degree in communication and BAS degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota Duluth, and she earned her MA degree in communication with emphasis in intercultural communication from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. She is currently a doctoral student at the University of Minnesota in the Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development program. Her research focus includes college readiness and transitions, equity and inclusion, achievement/opportunity gap, student persistence and retention, and organizational change.

Pakou Yang can be reached at pakou Vang@so.mnscu.edu

John O’Brien, Ph.D. | Vice Chancellor, Academic and Student Affairs | Minnesota State Colleges and Universities | 30 7th St. E., Suite 350, St. Paul, MN 55101 – map | john.obrien@so.mnscu.edu | 651-201-1497| Susan Platt, Assistant | susan.platt@so.mnscu.edu | 651-201-1652 |

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