University of Northern Colorado names lone finalist for president

GREELEY — The University of Northern Colorado Board of Trustees has named Andrew “Andy” Feinstein, Ph.D., as its only finalist for the position of president of the university.
Feinstein is the provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at San José State University, one of the largest public research universities in the West. As SJSU’s chief academic officer since 2014, Feinstein oversees 154 degree programs and supports more than 35,000 students, 1,900 faculty and 550 staff and administrators in seven academic colleges.
A 15-member search committee comprising UNC trustees and student, faculty and staff representatives unanimously selected Feinstein as the finalist following a search that began last fall when current president Kay Norton announced that she would retire at the end of the academic year.
In an email sent to campus Tuesday, the search committee called Feinstein, “A proven academic leader who values collaboration and transparency.” He “has shown his ability to lead and learn at three major universities. He is thoughtful, engaging, passionate about students, and eager to be part of our UNC and Greeley communities.”
“There was lots of interest from candidates, and Andy Feinstein clearly rose to the top,” said Board Chairman Dick Monfort. “Andy was the candidate who resonated with everybody on the committee. He understands faculty, staff and student issues, he understands the business issues, and he understands that those things don’t always go hand in hand. He’s open to change, and he knows how to do it collaboratively. He’s going to be great, and we’re all looking forward to working with him,” Monfort said.
Feinstein, who has 29 years of higher education experience, previously served as dean of the Collins College of Hospitality Management and the James A. Collins Distinguished Chair and professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. While dean, Feinstein also served as the chancellor-appointed director of Hospitality Management Education for the entire California State University system. Feinstein joined the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in 1999 as an assistant professor, was promoted to full professor and served as chair of the Department of Food and Beverage Management and associate dean for Strategic Initiatives at the Harrah Hotel College and senior adviser to the president.
Feinstein earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Hotel Administration from UNLV and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University. He has been married to his wife, Kerry, for 22 years and they have two children, Nicholas and Rachel.
“I am humbled, honored, and very excited by the opportunity to serve as the next president,” Feinstein said in the campus email. “Especially meaningful for me is that I will continue serving a public institution of higher education that recognizes and supports the potential of each student, including many who are first in their families to attend college.”
Opportunities for the campus and community to meet with Feinstein will be Monday and Tuesday, April 16-17. The schedule is being finalized. State law requires UNC to wait 14 days between announcing a finalist and hiring a new president, so Feinstein cannot formally be appointed until April 24.