Gitau has served as associate vice chancellor and dean of students at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, since 2008. At NKU, he will be responsible for all student support services and will serve on the president’s operations team, executive team and cabinet.
“We are excited to welcome Peter Gitau to the NKU leadership team,” said President Geoffrey S. Mearns. “Peter’s breadth and depth of experience make him an ideal candidate to lead student affairs. He will play an important role in NKU’s continued growth and enhanced commitment to student success.”
“I am excited at the opportunity to become a part of the NKU family and look forward to a successful transition,” Gitau added. “During my visits, I witnessed the true demonstration of a dynamic, vibrant and student-centered university. It was evident that faculty and staff genuinely care about students and each other.”
As chief student affairs officer at SIU, Gitau oversees 14 departments in a comprehensive student services division and works collaboratively with all key academic and administrative leaders in a major research university with anenrollment of just under 20,000 students.
Dr. Gitau was born in Kenya and received his bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Kenyatta University in Nairobi. He earned a Master’s in Educational Administration at Eastern Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Policy and Administration at the University of Kansas.
He and his wife, Trizah, have three children – Tim, 20, Joy, 15, and Hope, 12.
- Northern Kentucky University
