Winston Crisp will be taking a leave of absence from his position as vice president for Student Affairs due to health-related issues.
According to a letter obtained by Annenberg Media sent to the Student Affairs team from Provost Charles Zukoski Thursday, Dr. Monique Allard will step in to the role effective immediately. There was no mention of when Crisp will return.
“As you know, Dr. Allard has deep experience in all aspects of student support programs and services and she is a talented leader,” Zukoski wrote in the letter. “She will work closely with me and all of you to ensure we maintain our student focus and that we continue sustaining the excellence in all of our programs.”
Prior to being tapped to fill Crisp’s position, Dr. Allard acted as the senior associate vice provost for Student Affairs. She has worked in the field of student affairs for over 20 years, including formerly serving as the executive director for Student Support and Equity Programs at Cal Poly Pomona.
Dr. Allard is a veteran Trojan who earned both her master’s and doctorate degrees at the USC Rossier School of Education, where she currently works as an adjunct professor.
Crisp has served as the vice president for Student Affairs since July 2019. He was one of President Carol Folt’s early hires, as the two worked closely together at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where Crisp served as the vice chancellor of Student Affairs and Folt was chancellor.
USC’s vice president of Student Affairs sits at the helm of the Student Affairs department, which includes 300 staff and serves the entire undergraduate and graduate student population. The office runs student services, recreational sports and student organizations.