Cristina Herrera to serve as Interim Vice Provost for Student Success

Portland State University has appointed Cristina Herrera as Interim Vice Provost for Student Success, effective July 1, 2025. Herrera will continue serving as Director of Chicano/Latino Studies while taking on this new leadership role overseeing PSU’s student academic support services, student success initiatives, academic advising, career services, and office of the registrar.

Since joining PSU in 2021, Herrera has demonstrated outstanding leadership as Director and Professor of Chicanx/Latinx Studies. Under her guidance, the program developed the first bachelor's degree in Chicanx/Latinx Studies in the Pacific Northwest, which launched in 2023. This achievement reflects her commitment to expanding educational opportunities for underrepresented communities.

Herrera previously served as a professor and Department Chair of Chicano and Latin American Studies at California State University, Fresno from 2016-2020. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Claremont Graduate University and is an accomplished scholar, authoring several works on Chicanx and Latinx literature, including her recent book, Welcome to Oxnard: Race, Place, and Chicana Adolescence in Michele Serros's Writings.