UofL hires longtime higher education administrator as COO

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville has hired an administrator with 27 years of experience in higher education leadership and operations as its chief operating officer.

Joseph K. Han, Ed.D., vice president of operations at Central Washington University, will join UofL as COO, pending Board of Trustees approval, on March 19, 2018. He succeeds Harlan Sands, who left the university in January 2017.

“The University of Louisville has a reputation that is known throughout the country, and I am drawn to its commitment to achieve pre-eminence as a nationally recognized metropolitan research university,” Han said. “I look forward to building a collaborative process to set and achieve goals that support the operations of three distinct and growing campuses. This opportunity is both exciting and engaging, and I look forward to joining the Cardinal family.”

At Central Washington, Han is responsible for information services and security, institutional effectiveness, facilities management, environmental health and safety, and police and parking services. Prior to his current position, he was associate vice president of administration and operations at Cleveland State University.

Han also has held positions at Idaho State University, California State University, Azusa Pacific University and University of California—San Diego.

“Dr. Han’s experience, qualifications and passion for higher education will make him a great fit at the University of Louisville,” said UofL interim President Greg Postel. “His ability to create a vision and set long-term goals for an institution will serve our three campuses well.”

Han holds a bachelor’s degree in animal physiology from the University of California, two master’s degrees from Azusa Pacific and his doctorate in education, educational leadership and higher education administration from Idaho State.

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