Higgins Named Vice President for Student Affairs at Salve Regina

Margaret Higgins, currently assistant to the president for special projects at the University of San Francisco, has been appointed vice president for student affairs at effective Aug. 1.

An experienced professional in student affairs, Higgins served for eight years as USF’s vice president for university life and chief student affairs officer, and has also been an adjunct professor, teaching Organization and Leadership at the graduate level.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Salve Regina community,” Higgins said. “During my visits I found the magnificent natural beauty of the campus was surpassed by Salve’s commitment to students’ success as scholars and persons willing to make a positive difference. I am excited by the opportunity to join senior leaders, staff, faculty and students and contribute to the development of a learning community known for the promotion of a more harmonious, just and merciful world.”

Higgins has worked to promote the success and holistic development of undergraduate, graduate, commuter, residential, multicultural and nontraditional student populations within a variety of settings at Catholic, urban, private and public institutions.

Her accomplishments in the realm of student-centered leadership include strategic planning and realignment for a $22 million, 65-staff division of student affairs, the establishment of a Council on Equity and Inclusion, and the implementation of a U.S. Department of Education Grant to reduce high risk drinking and related harm.

A graduate of the College of Saint Rose, Higgins earned her master’s degree at Springfield College and her doctorate from The Catholic University of America.

She has also held leadership positions at The Catholic University of America, Merrimack College and Suffolk University.

Higgins is affiliated with the American College Personnel Association, the Association for Student Affairs at Catholic Colleges and Universities, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the Jesuit Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. She is a member of the board of directors for the Friends of the Fromm Institute, and has volunteered with such programs as Dress for Success and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training for the Kaiser Half Marathon.