Richard Van Den Hul named WWU vice president for Business and Financial Affairs

Richard Van Den Hul has been named the vice president for Business and Financial Affairs at Western Washington University, President Bruce Shepard announced.

“I am pleased that Richard Van Den Hul will be joining our leadership team here at Western and I am confident he will be an outstanding leader for the University,” Shepard said.

Van Den Hul, vice president for Finance and Administration at the University of South Dakota, will start at Western on July 8.

“I am excited about joining the Western community. I found the people at Western to be welcoming and engaged; they show a true love for their University,” said Van Den Hul. “I look forward to working with everyone at the University to meet the opportunities and challenges facing Western now and those to come in the future.”

Van Den Hul began his career at the University of South Dakota (USD) as director of Budget, Finance, and Institutional Research in 1996, was appointed associate vice president for Finance and Administration in 2000, and vice president in 2006. At USD he led the development of and secured funding and approval for major capital projects, streamlined financial and purchasing systems, and established better student services through online billing.

Prior to joining USD, Van Den Hul was director of Research at the Office of the Executive Director for the South Dakota Board of Regents, the governing body for South Dakota’s public universities. Van Den Hul also served as a principal fiscal analyst for the South Dakota Legislative Research Council. He was responsible for in-depth financial analysis and policy development for many legislative committees but was primarily assigned to the Appropriations Committee.

Van Den Hul received his MBA from the University of South Dakota and a B.S. (double major) in Commercial Economics and Agriculture Business from South Dakota State University. He serves on numerous committees, boards, and councils at the university, city, state and national levels.

Shepard praised and thanked Kathy Wetherell for her efforts while serving as interim vice president. Wetherell has served as interim vice president since George Pierce retired as vice president in late 2008.

Shepard also expressed appreciation to Eileen Coughlin, WWU vice president for Student Affairs and chair of the search committee, and to the entire search committee.

“The search committee brought excellent finalists to campus for interviews and public forums, clear evidence of the committee’s hard work and effectiveness,” Shepard said.

The vice president for Business and Financial Affairs at Western Washington University provides leadership in the development of an outcome-oriented strategic plan that addresses the business and financial needs of the WWU community. The vice president is the chief financial and business officer of the University and reports directly to the president.

Business and Financial Affairs provides a range of crucial services to Western, including oversight for construction, renovation and maintenance of university buildings and maintenance of its grounds; development and oversight of the capital budget; and campus safety, human resources and environmental health and safety.