New Vice President for Student Affairs and Engagement - and a thank you

Friday, April 10, 2026

I wish to add an important acknowledgment to my announcement earlier today regarding the appointment of Dr. Trung Nguyen as Vice President for Student Affairs and Engagement.

In our enthusiasm to share the news, I inadvertently omitted a well-deserved expression of gratitude to Mike Wadsworth, who has served as Interim Vice President for Student Affairs with great dedication during this transition period. His leadership and commitment to our students have been invaluable, and I am deeply appreciative of the steady, capable stewardship he has provided to the division.

Thank you, Mike.

To the Oakland University community,

I am very excited to share with you that Dr. Trung Nguyen, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement and Success at the University at Buffalo, will serve as Oakland University’s Vice President for Student Affairs and Engagement starting on Monday, July 13, 2026.

Dr. Nguyen emerged as the top finalist among a field of four candidates who visited campus in March. He will bring more than 20 years of higher education leadership to his new position, including four years of experience at the State University of New York’s flagship campus. There he focused on critical objectives including student engagement, learning and career preparation while also collaborating with academic affairs leaders to support leadership development, experiential learning and career readiness.

In previous positions our new colleague gained valuable experience managing scholarships supporting student access and persistence, as well as securing federal funding to expand programs supporting first-generation and underrepresented students.

A first-generation college graduate himself, Dr. Nguyen holds a Doctor of Education in Higher Education Leadership from Texas Christian University, a Master of Arts in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Justice from SUNY Oswego.

"I am truly honored and excited to join Oakland University at such a dynamic moment in its trajectory," he said after learning of his appointment. "I look forward to partnering with students, faculty, and staff to build on OU’s strong foundation and to advance a vibrant, inclusive student experience that supports learning, engagement, and success.”

I believe Oakland University is extremely fortunate to have found someone of Dr. Nguyen’s educational and professional background to fill to this role and I look forward to the leadership and collaboration he will bring to efforts to give our students a distinct edge in preparing for the world of opportunity before them.

In the meantime, I would like to extend special appreciation to Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Amy Thompson for leading our search committee, as well as to all members of the search committee and to the Academic Search consulting firm for guiding the search process.

I hope all of you will join me in warmly welcoming Dr. Nguyen to our university when he officially comes to campus in July.

Thank you,

Ora Hirsch Pescovitz, M.D.
President