University Advancement

Public Relations and Strategic Communications

NEWS RELEASE

New Vice President for Administration and Finance Named at CSUN

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., March 12, 2007) — When Cal State Northridge’s new vice president for administration and finance and chief financial officer reports to work on April 2, it will represent a kind of homecoming.

Randy Harris’ career in academics and finance has led him from Glendale to San Diego, from Guatemala and Florida to Michigan and Utah, only to return to Southern California for an appointment he welcomes as an exciting new chapter in his career.

"I’ve done my homework on what Cal State Northridge is and where it has come from, and I am tremendously impressed with its zeal for the realization of greatness at every level, from its students and faculty to its staff and leadership," said Harris.

Harris comes to Northridge from Salt Lake City, where he has served since 2005 as director of financial operations for the Brigham Young University Church Education System’s worldwide operations, with responsibility for Brigham Young University (BYU), BYU-Idaho, BYU-Hawaii and LDS Business College.

Getting to know all the CSUN campus constituencies will be high on Harris’ agenda. "It’s important to sit down with our teams, listen to their ideas and recommendations, formulate our plans and accomplish things together on a timeline," he said.

Prior to his work with the BYU Church Education System, Harris spent three years as president of the Guatemala City North Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

His term in Central America was preceded by five years in a dual role as vice chancellor/vice president for administration and finance for the 36,000-student University of Houston and its four-campus system of more than 57,000 students.

Harris also has held positions as associate vice president for finance at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and as assistant vice president for finance and university controller at Florida State University in Tallahassee. In addition, he has taught accounting and public management at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah.

His academic career followed an active civic life in which he twice was elected councilman of Layton City, Utah, and held leadership roles with the Boy Scouts of America. He also was a member of Houston’s 2012 Olympics Facilities Committee.

Harris earned a master of public administration degree from Brigham Young, attended Harvard University’s Common Fund Endowment Institute and did graduate work in financial planning at the College for Financial Planning in Denver, Colo.

The new executive replaces Jim Sullivan, interim vice president for administration and finance.