Chancellor Kyle R. Carter announced today that Richard Cosentino, Ph.D., MBA, has been named vice chancellor for finance and administration at The University of North Carolina at Pembroke following a unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees. Dr. Cosentino succeeds Neil Hawk who has served as vice chancellor at the university for 20 years.

Dr. Cosentino was selected following a national search, which yielded a rich pool of qualified candidates from around the nation. He was among four finalists brought to Pembroke for campus-wide interviews.

“We are fortunate to have such an experienced candidate to fill the legacy that Neil Hawk leaves behind,” said Chancellor Carter. “Dr. Cosentino has a breadth of experience that incorporates finance, management, budgeting, facilities, strategic planning and human resources – areas that his duties at UNCP will encompass. I am confident that he will continue us on a path of consistent improvement through a collaborative personal style that fits well with the values of the university.”

During his more than 20-year career, Dr. Cosentino has held a variety of senior management positions. A senior financial and administrative executive in higher education, he is currently the associate vice president for finance and management at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., a three-campus university serving approximately 25,000 students with an endowment of more than $1 billion.

At George Washington, Dr. Cosentino oversees the financial and administrative management of 21 units of the university. He previously held administrative positions at the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

During his career, Dr. Cosentino also served as the assistant dean for the School of Engineering and Applied Science at George Washington and is a professorial lecturer in the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering. 

“I have worked for many years in a university setting providing financial and administrative leadership,” Dr. Cosentino said. “I look forward to being a part of the UNC Pembroke team, and I am very excited to have the opportunity to work at a university with such a rich history and exceptional faculty and staff.

Dr. Cosentino holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and an MBA in strategic financial planning. His Ph.D., in the area of enterprise resource planning systems implementation, was earned at The George Washington University. Dr. Cosentino has presented at numerous national conferences over the past five years including NACUBO (National Association of College and University Business Officers), Educause, and the National Council of University Research Administrators Financial Research Administration Conference.

Reporting to the chancellor and a key member of the chancellor’s cabinet, the vice chancellor for Finance and Administration serves as the chief financial officer of UNC Pembroke and the UNCP Foundation, Inc. The vice chancellor for Finance and Administration is responsible for the university’s $120 million operating budget and $17 million endowment.

“Dr. Cosentino is an experienced executive with a history of improving operating performance and maximizing the utilization of funds,” said Dr. Robin Cummings, chairman of the UNCP Board of Trustees. “He has also successfully identified new streams of revenue for the universities he has served which will be a valuable asset at Pembroke.”

A number of departments report to the vice chancellor for Finance and Administration, including: Business Services, Financial Planning and Budgeting, Controllership, Human Resources, Facilities Management, Bookstore and Food Services.  A total of 175 regular and part-time staff members report to the vice chancellor.

Dr. Cosentino will begin his duties at UNC Pembroke by November 1.