Pacifica Graduate Institute of Santa Barbara has announced the appointment of Carol Pearson, Ph.D., as president of the institute.

She succeeds the founding president, Stephen Aizenstat, Ph.D. A formal inauguration will be held Feb. 9, 2012.

“As an internationally acclaimed scholar and seasoned higher educational administrator, Dr. Pearson brings enormous strengths to the presidency and possesses the vision and experience to guide Pacifica into the future,” Pacifica Board of Trustees chair Ernest Zomalt said. “Because of her background and the leadership she has shown over the past two years as Pacifica’s executive vice president and provost, the board voted unanimously to support her appointment.”

Pearson is the author of more than a dozen books and numerous articles in the fields of archetypal psychology, leadership, organizational development, branding, women’s studies and literature. She has served as a faculty member and administrator at several prestigious universities, including the University of Maryland, the University of Colorado and Georgetown University, where she honed her skills in applying depth psychology principles in higher-education settings.

The president supports Pacifica’s mission by providing quality graduate education, public programs and advances in scholarship.

Pacifica is also pleased to announce that Aizenstat will continue to serve the institute in the newly established position of chancellor. In this role, he will support the school’s alumni outreach programs and the Opus Archives and Research Center on the campuses of Pacifica Graduate Institute. As chancellor, he will also expand the institute’s advocacy on behalf of depth psychology, mythological studies, and Pacifica’s aspirations and core values in the world.

“Over the last 40 years, Dr. Aizenstat’s visionary leadership has taken the school from a Counseling Skills Certificate Center in a two-room office in Isla Vista to the premier Institute of depth psychology with two extraordinary campuses in Santa Barbara,” Pacifica board member Dr. Russ Revlin said. “For the thousands of graduates, students and employees, we are thankful for his stewardship and are excited about the role of the Chancellor, which will inspire others who carry the spirit of the Pacifica dream.”

Aizenstat has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, is a marriage and family therapist, and is a credentialed public school teacher. He is an internationally recognized author, speaker and expert in the field of dream work.

Aizenstat will build on the institute’s proud legacy and further advocate Pacifica Graduate Institute’s mission as expressed in its motto, Animae Mundi Colendae Gratia, for the sake of tending the soul of the world. The installation of the chancellor will take place in spring 2012.

Pacifica Graduate Institute is an accredited graduate school offering masters and doctoral degree programs framed in the traditions in depth psychology. Click here for more information.

— Erik Davis is the director of institutional advancement for Pacifica Graduate Institute.