Meet Our Chair
Forum Executive Committee, University of Nevada, Reno
David Shintani is the vice provost for undergraduate education at the University of Nevada, Reno. He previously served as the associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources at the University of Nevada, Reno where he is a faculty member in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology. Shintani earned his B.S degree in genetics from the University of California, Davis and his Ph.D. in botany and plant pathology from Michigan State University.
Dear Colleagues:
Welcome to the Western Academic Leadership Forum. The Forum brings together university leaders from across the West to use their collective knowledge and experience to address issues related our region’s unique demographic, geographic and economic character. With the current COVID 19 pandemic, it is especially important that university leaders have a venue, like the Forum, to communicate and collaborate on new and emerging challenges impacting the health and safety of our students, faculty and institutions. The Forum has a long history of tackling important issues including the diversification of the professoriate, campus health and wellness, and university leadership development. If you are not yet a member, I strongly encourage you to join us and experience all that this organization has to offer.
The Forum has gathered considerable input and though the decision was not made easily, the Forum has decided to forgo a face-to-face annual conference for Spring 2021. Exciting plans are underway for a series of relevant online webinars which will be created in collaboration with the Western Alliance of Community College Academic Leaders, our two-year counterpart. The Forum looks forward to creatively serving our membership and stakeholders despite current challenges.