SAN MARCOS ---- Terry Allison, a former special assistant to the president at Cal State San Marcos and now the university's chief planning officer, was named Thursday as interim vice president for finance and administrative services.

Allison, 48, will serve in the post vacated by Stephen G. Garcia, who resigned to take a similar job in the administration of Alexander Gonzalez, who left CSUSM in July to head Cal State Sacramento.

Allison's work at the San Marcos campus has involved strategic planning, analytic studies and supervision of the budget office.

The choice of CSUSM President Karen Haynes, Allison will start in his new post May 1 and serve through the end of the year or until a permanent finance chief is named.

In a statement, Haynes said she was delighted to make the appointment. Noting Allison's "breadth of experience and depth of knowledge" about the university, she said the appointment will "serve the campus well as we seek a permanent" new vice president.

Allison joined CSUSM in 1991 to select and acquire the core collection for the university library. He chaired the university's academic senate in 1993-94 and represented Cal State San Marcos on the 23-campus CSU system's academic senate from 1994-96. He was named assistant to the CSUSM president in 1999 and became the campus's chief planner in 2002.

Allison, a San Marcos resident, has taught in the university's women's studies and literature and writing programs.

He said he's pleased to be able to help the university's finance operations maintain their "momentum in providing quality services," and that he appreciates the confidence Haynes placed in him as a manager in these "difficult budget times."