I am writing to share that Dr. Jim Schmidtke, associate vice president for Faculty Affairs, has accepted the position of dean of the College of Business at Chico State, effective Aug. 1.

While we are sorry to see Jim leave our campus community, we are proud that he has been selected for this important leadership role. Throughout his tenure, Jim has provided thoughtful, collaborative and steady leadership in Faculty Affairs, advancing initiatives that support both faculty excellence and student success.

Under Jim’s leadership, the Office of Faculty Affairs strengthened and improved several key faculty personnel processes that will have a lasting positive impact on the university. These efforts included enhancements to the new faculty orientation process and improvements that reduced processing times for temporary faculty contracts.

Jim also worked closely with campus partners through shared governance structures, including the Academic Senate, Personnel Committee and Chairs’ Council, to strengthen faculty personnel practices and promote greater clarity, consistency and guidance across departments.

Prior to serving as associate vice president for Faculty Affairs, Jim was a faculty member and department chair in the Craig School of Business. In those roles, he contributed significantly to program development, graduate education and accreditation initiatives. He also demonstrated a strong commitment to university service through his leadership and participation on numerous campus committees, including serving as chair of the University Budget Committee and as a member of the Student Academic Petitions Committee, the Service-Learning Committee and the Professional Development Subcommittee.

We thank Dr. Jim Schmidtke for his many contributions to the university and wish him continued success in his new leadership role at Chico State.