Harlan M. Sands is an American academic administrator and attorney who served as the 7th President of

Cleveland State University Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...

from June 2018 to April 2022.

Early life and education

Sands is a native of

Wantagh, New York Wantagh ( ) is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on Long Island, New York, United States. The population was 18,871 at the time of the 2010 census. Wantagh is known as "The Gateway to Jones Be ...

. He earned a Bachelor of Science in economics from the

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private Ivy League rese ...

, Master of Business Administration with a focus in finance from

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

, and

Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...

from the

Antonin Scalia Law School The Antonin Scalia Law School (previously George Mason University School of Law) is the law school of George Mason University, a public research university in Virginia. It is located in Arlington, Virginia, roughly west of Washington, D.C., a ...

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

. Sands served as an active duty member of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

for eight years, including as an intelligence officer and surface warfare officer on the USS ''Guam.''

Career

Sands began his career as an assistant public defender in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

. Sands later joined the administration of

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...

, where he served as Executive Director of the FIU Applied Research Center, Associate Vice President for Research, and Associate Dean of the College of Health and Urban Affairs. He also worked as a professor of criminal justice. Sands served for seven years at the

University of Alabama at Birmingham The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is a Public university#United States, public List of research universities in the United States, research university in Birmingham, Alabama. Developed from an academic extension center established i ...

, working as the Vice Provost for Administration and Quality Improvement. At the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public research university in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of ...

, Sands served as Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, CFO, and COO. Sands then returned to his undergraduate alma mater,

The Wharton School The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League research university in P ...

, where he served as Vice Dean of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. Sands was selected by the

board of trustees to serve as the institution's seventh president, and took office on June 1, 2018, succeeding Ronald M. Berkman. In 2019, Sands was named on the ''

Cleveland Magazine ''Cleveland Magazine'' is a monthly magazine focused on Northeastern Ohio, USA. It was founded in 1972. The inaugural April 1972 issue featured a young Dennis Kucinich, a frequent profile subject of the magazine. Published monthly by the Great La ...

'' Most Interesting People list. He resigned the post in April 2022, reportedly the result of a mutual decision, amidst disagreements regarding the future of the college. He was paid $928,000 to step-down.

Personal life

Sands and his wife, Lynn, have two sons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, Harlan M. Living people Presidents of Cleveland State University Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania alumni George Washington University alumni Antonin Scalia Law School alumni People from Wantagh, New York People from Long Island Florida International University faculty University of Louisville faculty Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania faculty Year of birth missing (living people)