Santa Monica College has announced the appointment of Dr. Georgia L. Lorenz as Vice President of Academic Affairs. Dr. Lorenz steps into the position on July 1 to replace Jeff Shimizu, who is retiring after more than 20 years in leadership roles at SMC.
SMC Superintendent/President Chui L. Tsang said Dr. Lorenz had an impressive grasp of strategic planning.
“Her efforts to maximize student access during our major budget crisis – and to integrate Global Citizenship into our classes and culture – have made Santa Monica College more effective at helping our students succeed in a rapidly changing world,” Tsang said.
Dr. Lorenz started at SMC in 2005 as Director of Instructional Services. She was named Associate Dean of Instructional Services in 2006, and has been SMC’s Dean of Instructional Services since 2008.
As Dean of Instructional Services, Dr. Lorenz has been responsible for developing and managing SMC’s annual academic plan of more than 7,100 classes, with approximately one in eight delivered online.
She has worked to develop and launch new academic programs, including baccalaureate partnerships and emerging interdisciplinary programs, and helped develop Career Technical Education programs in response to workforce needs.
She has also helped establish entrepreneurial partnerships that create new opportunities for international education.
All 23 of SMC’s academic departments and chairs report to Dr. Lorenz on matters related to instruction, ranging from curriculum and program development to faculty hiring and evaluation.
Dr. Lorenz was formerly Associate Director of the University of Southern California Center for Urban Education, where she managed grant-funded projects that included a $1 million research project funded by The James Irvine Foundation, and a planning grant from the Ford Foundation.
Prior to that, she worked at USC as Assistant Director of Residential and Greek Life, managing and providing leadership support for three residential colleges housing 900 students, along with paraprofessional staff and residence coordinators.
She has also served as an adjunct professor at USC’s Rossier School of Education, as well as California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
An accomplished education researcher, Dr. Lorenz has focused on such topics as the use of institutional data to examine and achieve equity in educational outcomes for diverse students, gain a true measure of educational outcomes, and determine the best ways to support and enhance student success.
She has also authored, co-authored, or contributed to papers, journal articles, and chapters in books, including “Confronting Equity Issues on Campus: Implementing the Equity Scorecard in Theory and Practice.”
Dr. Lorenz currently serves as a member of the board for First Place for Youth, an organization dedicated to helping foster youth build the skills they need to make a successful transition to self-sufficiency and responsible adulthood.
Dr. Lorenz earned a PhD in Educational Policy, Planning and Administration at USC, where she received the Delta Epsilon Dissertation Award of Merit.
She holds a Master of Science in Education and Social Policy from Northwestern University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Stanford University.
