Catching Named Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 15, 2025) — An accomplished leader in higher education student affairs and success across five major college campuses has been named vice chancellor for Student Affairs for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.

Christopher C. Catching, Ed.D., will assume his new role in early February as chief student affairs officer for America’s top public historically Black doctoral research land-grant university. Prior to his role as special assistant to the president for student success at Stockton University, Catching served as Stockton’s student affairs vice president for six years. He previously held leadership positions at Southern Connecticut State University, Hofstra University, Rutgers University and Seton Hall University.

Among his many accomplishments, Catching led a division nationally recognized as one of the “Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs” by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and has extensive teaching and research experience on the subject of African American men in higher education. He was also honored by ACPA—College Student Educators International for leadership in diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging initiatives and by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators for first-generation student initiatives.

“Dr. Catching brings 25 years of experience as an innovative leader in enhancing the student experience – including studies and service at AAU and R1 institutions, as well as campuses largely serving Black and other minority students – that have prepared him well for impact at North Carolina A&T,” said Chancellor James R. Martin II. “His strong record of research and scholarship with regard to students of color and particularly Black male student success give him the background to understand and enhance the work of student affairs at America’s premiere historically Black university.”

Catching began work as vice president at Stockton in 2018 and led a division of 350 professional and student employees, managing a budget of $20 million. He served as assistant vice president for student affairs and student success for the prior four years at Southern Connecticut.

From 2011 to 2014, he led the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program at Hofstra, also serving as assistant provost. For the four years prior to that, he was director of multicultural engagement at Rutgers, the state university of New Jersey designated Research 1-Very High Research Activity in the Carnegie Classifications. In addition to his service as an administrator, he has taught at Rutgers, Hofstra, Southern Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Montclair State University, Rowan University and Bloomfield College.

Catching earned his doctoral degree from Rutgers in social and philosophical foundations, an M.A. in higher education and student affairs from New York University and a B.A. in history from Montclair. In addition to his professional duties, he serves as a trustee on the AtlantiCare Regional Healthcare Services Board and on the board for the African American Heritage Museum of Southern New Jersey.