June 14, 2021 — Rarely does a student affairs administrator face a series of crises quite like two fires and mass shooting that occurred in late 2018. But that’s one of the moments that tested Cindy Derrico, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Student Affairs & Dean of Students at CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI).
“We had to safely evacuate the students off campus and quickly. Cindy was able to prepare them for that moment and as I sat with her in the Emergency Operations Center, I witnessed her grace under pressure while making the impossible happen,” said Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Toni DeBoni. “She had this elegant way of gliding through a difficult experience demonstrating confidence, compassion and optimism.”
Derrico’s skill and leadership during the hundreds of challenges she has faced during her 30+ year career in student affairs has earned Derrico the Charles L. Miller Leadership & Service Award for 2021, an honor from the Western Association of College and University Housing Officers (WACUHO).
DeBoni and Interim President Richard Yao, Ph.D. nominated Derrico for the honor when Yao was still serving as Vice President for Student Affairs.
“There is no amount of training that can adequately prepare one to navigate a response for a mass shooting occurring in a nearby community and a campus evacuation due to fires in the very same day, and of course, the aftermath of these events continued well throughout the academic year,” Yao and DeBoni’s nomination letter said. “Dr. Derrico’s character, integrity and humanity were so evident throughout this process as she supported her team in navigating such an unfathomable situation.”
Derrico, who has been a part of WACUHO since she launched her career in student affairs in the mid-1980s, said she was surprised, humbled and grateful for the honor, and especially pleased that she knew the man for whom the award is named: Charles Miller.
“It has extra special meaning to me to get an award named after someone who was a role model,” Derrico said of Miller, who passed away in the early 1990s. “He was very, very funny and very knowledgeable. He knew all the details about how to manage being a 24-hour professional. That’s one thing about student affairs, you don’t get to walk away from work. You can get a call in the middle of the night about anything from a plumbing issue to a student’s emotional crisis.”
One of Derrico’s favorite memories of Miller was when the two were serving on a committee together in 1993 and riding in a truck at a conference at Asilomar in Pacific Grove.
“We came upon these poles in the road and I realize he’s barreling right toward them,” Derrico said. “I was like ‘Charlie! Slow down!’ He drove right over them, I was startled and confused – it was the first time I had seen collapsible road barricades. He quickly stopped the truck and was laughing uproariously…that was Charlie.”
A few months later, Derrico’s boss called her in to tell her Miller had passed away suddenly, a shock to all who knew him.
The wisdom she gained from Miller—as well as other respected leaders in her profession—is something she taps constantly as she does her job, whether it’s organizing a mass exodus during a fire, caring for students following a mass shooting, or making sure students have all they need during a pandemic that lasted more than a year.
In their nomination letter, Yao and DeBoni stressed that the heavy lifting will continue as the campus prepares for the students’ return to in-person classes and for those who plan to live on campus in the fall.
“This planning must account for the financial devastation and consequences that resulted from fewer students in housing due to the pandemic and balance this with creating a safe environment where students can return and experience the benefits of living on campus,” the letter said, adding: “On a personal note, she is a dear friend and colleague with whom we enjoy her good company, steady presence infectious smile, and wonderful sense of humor.”