Staffing Announcement – System Director for P-20 and College Readiness

Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that Pakou Yang has been named as the system director of P-20 and College Readiness at MnSCU.  Pakou has been serving in this role in an interim capacity since August 2014.  Since Pakou’s arrival at the system office, she has played an integral role in leading the statewide discussions around concurrent enrollment, PSEO, supplemental academic instruction, and P-20 partnerships. Pakou is actively engaged with lawmakers providing insight on these important issues, and has testified in several hearings on behalf of MnSCU and our students. Additionally, she has led numerous projects including convening the Pathways to Postsecondary Summits, MnSCU Concurrent Enrollment Directors meeting, and the Minnesota Concurrent Enrollment Partnership (MnCEP) meeting.

Pakou previously served at Century College as a faculty member in the Communication department before becoming a dean, and serving as interim vice president of academic affairs. In her tenure as dean, she co-lead the college readiness and access partnerships with K12, giving her considerable knowledge and experience in the areas of assessment for course placement, credit for prior learning and developmental education.

Pakou has a Bachelor of Arts degree in communication and Bachelor of Applied Science degree in psychology from the University of Minnesota, Duluth.  She has a master’s 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.

Please join me in congratulating Pakou on her permanent appointment!

John O’Brien, Ph.D. | Sr. 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, Executive Assistant | susan.platt@so.mnscu.edu | 651-201-1652 |