After serving the Long Beach State community for six years, Associate Vice President Terri Carbaugh is leaving to work as vice chancellor of public affairs at Brandman University in Irvine.
“It was a bittersweet decision,” Carbaugh said. “It’s been a privilege representing the campus community in Sacramento, Washington D.C. and through the press … [but] I view Brandman University as … a continuum of the work I’m doing at Long Beach. It expands my horizons in that it is an independent institution and an online system.”
Carbaugh’s last day was Jan. 15, but no one has been hired to replace her yet. For the time being, Jeff Bliss, executive director of media and digital news, will serve as interim associate vice president. Carbaugh will begin her job at Brandman University March 11.
During her time at LBSU, Carbaugh helped campaign for the Long Beach Promise, which is a plan that gives all students in the Long Beach Unified School District the opportunity to go to college in Long Beach.
“That’s a pretty extraordinary opportunity, and it was really a pleasure to be a part of such a meaningful educational endeavor,” Carbaugh said.
She said she has also enjoyed her role training faculty experts in communicating their research and its relevance to the public.
“Long Beach is a treasure trove of expertise and so having had the opportunity to help convey why the knowledge generated on our campus is so relevant to the larger community was really important work,” Carbaugh said.
Carbaugh said she has learned many lessons from the faculty, administration and mostly students. She is grateful for the “top notch team” of local and national journalists she worked with at LBSU and the experiences that she will carry with her when she goes to Brandman.
She added that she looks forward to keeping up with the future of Long Beach and its students while working at Brandman University.
“I’ll miss the energy and the synergy of the campus community,” Carbaugh said. “It’s a community that comes together in good and in bad times.”