Veteran educator and administrator John Binkley is the new associate vice provost and dean of the College of Extended and Global Education (CEGE). Binkley will also hold a tenured academic appointment in the Department of Theatre Arts.

“We are excited that John Binkley, an experienced administrator and educator, joins the CSUSB family,” said A. Rafik Mohamed, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and over 10 years’ experience in higher education leadership in the California State University system.”

Prior to CSUSB, Binkley served as the senior international officer and dean of the College of Extended Education and International Programs at California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB). Binkley’s notable accomplishments at CSUMB include ensuring continuous curriculum alignment with education abroad partner institutions, developing a recruitment plan for fee-paying study abroad students utilizing in-country representation and supporting internationalization efforts.

His journey from a tenured professor to administrator began at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). Binkley served as a professor in the Department of Theatre for 13 years. With a background in theater design, primarily scenery and costumes, Binkley brings a unique expertise to his new role.

“Folks always ask me, ‘Well, what does that have to do with extended education?’” said Binkley regarding his theater background. The connection he made with the extended education college was the entrepreneurial nature.

“There is this opportunity for creativity, for exploring things and looking at things in a new way,” said Binkley. “I would like to see CEGE as an opportunity to engage in entrepreneurial conversations across the campus, whether that’s with the divisions, academic colleges, departments or with the faculty. There is this opportunity for us that excites me on the extended education side.”

As a faculty member at CSUN, Binkley had the opportunity to travel with a group of students to Shanghai, China. The students were exposed to a different culture and art when students from Shanghai Normal University performed a play the day they arrived, and the CSUN students performed a play for them the next day. The cross-cultural experience highlighted to Binkley the benefits international education provides students.

At CSUN, Binkley was elected to a three-year appointment on the committee for extended education in the faculty senate. The role opened the door for more leadership positions in the Tseng College at CSUN, including associate dean, interim director of graduate and professional education and interim director of the intensive English program.

Binkley earned his bachelor’s degree in performing arts from Western Kentucky University and master’s degree in theatre from Southern Methodist University. He is pursuing a doctorate in higher education, internationalization and educational strategies and practices at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

In addition to higher education, Binkley’s expertise includes nonprofit management, having served as the national and regional chairs for the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. It was there Binkley got to know the majority of CSUSB’s theater department senior faculty, including department chair, Andre Harrington, who is a longtime colleague of Binkley’s. For Binkley, his role at CSUSB may be new, but in terms of the theater world, it’s a homecoming.

“I am excited to be here, and hopefully I can be a resource for the campus and develop strong collaborations across the campus and in the community,” said Binkley.