The Division of Student Affairs and Success is excited to announce John Bollard has been hired as the associate vice chancellor for student health and wellness and chief well-being officer. He will begin his appointment Thursday, February 2. Hired following a national search this past fall, John will oversee UC Santa Cruz’s extensive portfolio of wellness-focused services including medical, mental health, administrative and ancillary services as well as campus advocacy resources and education and student health outreach and promotion. In addition to serving as a key member of the division’s cabinet and executive leadership teams, as the chief well-being officer, John will be the campus leader in matters of public health and will keep senior leadership apprised of known and emerging issues related to the health, safety, and well-being of students.
John’s educational background and previous professional experience well-equip him for the associate vice chancellor role and its many corresponding responsibilities. John holds two masters of arts degrees–one in education, with a concentration in higher education administration, from the University of San Francisco and the second in theology, with a concentration in ethics, from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley. John also attended California State University, Bakersfield, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy.
Already familiar with the UC system, John comes to UC Santa Cruz after more than two decades of service at UC Los Angeles. During his 23-year tenure at UCLA, John held a number of positions–most of them in the Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center. There, John served as assistant director for business and administration, chief of operations and chief financial officer, and interim co-executive director. Most recently, John was the Executive Director and Chief Administrative Office for UCLA’s Division of Student Development and Health.
With his entire professional career dedicated to education and education administration, John is a proven servant leader. He has a demonstrated ability to and affinity for identifying needed resources and going the lengths required to procure them. Whether it means finding new spaces, raising money, or creating new revenue streams, John is committed to ensuring the organizations and departments he leads have the resources they need to do their best work and advance student health.
While John will bring a wealth of knowledge and a host of vibrant experiences to UC Santa Cruz, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success Akirah J. Bradley-Armstrong is especially looking forward to his leadership of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. She explained, “I’m really excited for the leadership and advocacy John will bring to our campus’ continued diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. Amongst the multifaceted purview of his role as associate vice chancellor for student health and wellness and chief well-being officer, we will turn to John to lead the charge in closing the health equity gaps that exist on campus.”
John is eager to join our community and set about this work. As he says, “After 13 years in student health work at UCLA, supporting students’ health and wellness is in my bones and blood. I’ve known the Santa Cruz health folks for years. I appreciate the holistic approach the campus takes, but what really impresses is the focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. These principles must be central to the mission of the student health center. It is our responsibility to advance that mission and ensure all our students have equal access to affordable, quality care.”
