By Joseph Lyell —
U of L is set to name Joseph K. Han as the next Chief Operating Officer.
The hire, pending approval by the board of trustees, comes after the departure of the previous COO Harlan Sands in January. Lee Smith has been serving as interim COO.
Han has 27 years of administrative experience in higher education. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Operations at Central Washington University. He has also held positions at Idaho State University, California State University, Azusa Pacific University and University of California – San Diego.
Han has a bachelor’s degree in animal physiology from the University of California, two master’s degrees from Azusa Pacific and a doctorate in education, educational leadership and higher education administration from Idaho State.
“The University of Louisville has a reputation that is known throughout the country, and I am drawn to its commitment to achieve pre-eminence as a nationally recognized metropolitan research university,” Han said in a statement from the university.
“I look forward to building a collaborative process to set and achieve goals that support the operations of three distinct and growing campuses. This opportunity is both exciting and engaging, and I look forward to joining the Cardinal family,” Han said.
“Dr. Han’s experience, qualifications and passion for higher education will make him a great fit at the University of Louisville,” Interim President Greg Postel said in the announcement.
“His ability to create a vision and set long-term goals for an institution will serve our three campuses well,” Postel said.
The board of trustees will vote to approve the hire on March 19, 2018.
Photo Courtesy / U of L
