We are so grateful to have alum Dr. Pete C. Menjares as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Menjares was installed as our new Provost in a beautiful ceremony last Thursday. He brings over 24 years of education and leadership experience to our University and prior to this promotion, he served as the Interim Provost and the Senior Director for the Institute for Faculty Development.
Dr. Menjares is a well-respected leader in the Vanguard community, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Pastoral Ministries in 1987. After receiving his degree from Vanguard, he went on to receive a master’s degree in Education at Cal State Dominguez Hills, and earned his PhD in Language, Literacy and Learning at USC in 1998. With over 24 years of experience in higher education, serving on the Board of Trustees at Seattle Pacific University and as the 11th president of Fresno Pacific University, Dr. Menjares brings a wealth of knowledge as he continues his journey with Vanguard as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
A skilled speaker and inspiration to many, Dr. Menjares has had a great impact on his community. He often speaks to groups of students in different schools around the region, who are part of the Good News Clubs (GNC). The GNC are an outreach of Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) and they are led by the CEF staff and Christian teachers at the schools. His personal story has been used as curriculum for CEF and has been used to specifically reach out to Hispanic and children in underserved communities. The curriculum has also been used in several churches, and hundreds of students have found his story interesting and inspirational.
In addition to his leadership roles, Dr. Menjares also serves as an advocate for diversity in educational settings. He has provided diversity consultations and institutional assessments to dozens of organizations across the country. His advocacy led him to serve as the Chief Diversity Officer for Biola University and the co-author and section editor of the book, Diversity Matters: Race, Ethnicity, and the Future of Christian Higher Education. In addition to this, Dr. Menjares is a Senior Fellow for Diversity with The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU).
