In recent months, the University has been engaged in a nationwide search for the next senior associate vice president and dean of students, following the interim appointment of Dean Cedric Rucker after the departure of former Dean Robyn Hadley. The search committee charged with filling the position is expected to complete the process by the end of the spring semester, with finalists scheduled to visit Grounds early next year.
The dean of students serves in a senior leadership role within the Division of Student Affairs, acting as an advocate and liaison between students and University leadership. The role also helps to address issues facing the University community, promote student involvement and facilitate a culture of self-governance. According to Dr. Christopher Holstege, committee member and senior associate vice president for Student Health & Wellness, the typical appointment contract for the position is three to five years.
The recruitment for this position is being handled by a search committee of eight faculty, as well as two student representatives — Valentina Mendoza Gonzalez, Student Council president and fourth-year College student, and graduate Law student Morgan Hughes. The committee was formed through the Executive Search Group, a retained search firm within the University that oversees searches for some of the University’s administrative positions.
In an email statement to The Cavalier Daily, Kenyon Bonner, vice president and chief student affairs officer, said that members of the search committee were selected to reflect stakeholders that frequently engage with the dean of students and Student Affairs.
Bonner said that student representation was a priority, given the nature of the position’s relationship with the student body. He added that Mendoza Gonzalez and Hughes, the student representatives on the search committee, were chosen for their leadership backgrounds within student self-governance, which Bonner said would contribute valuable perspectives to the selection process.
Advocating for student well-being, the dean of students reports directly to the vice president and chief student affairs officer and oversees budgeting, planning and staff recruitment, according to the Executive Search Group’s specifications. The search committee says they are looking for an individual with at least a decade of leadership experience within higher education.
The position has recently seen a significant amount of turnover at the University. The new dean of students will be the fourth person to hold the title since former Dean Allen Groves left the University in 2021 after serving in the position for 14 years.
According to Bonner, the search is national in scope and has garnered significant interest from high-level candidates across the country. Additionally, Bonner said that the committee is prioritizing candidates’ student-focused qualities over strict qualifications.
“We don’t want to preemptively exclude any strong candidates because they don’t have a particular pedigree or fit a predetermined mold,” Bonner said. “But we certainly are looking very closely at candidates who have a strong student-focused background and approach.”
Bonner explained that the search committee will continue reviewing candidate submissions for the remainder of the fall semester, with the intention to have a pool of final candidates by the early spring. Bonner also stated that these candidates will visit Grounds for in-person meetings with students and other University stakeholders, with confidentiality measures in place to protect applicants’ current roles.
In an effort to gather broader student input into the selection process, the University’s search committee for the next dean of students hosted a listening session Oct. 25, led by Steve Farmer, committee chair and vice provost for enrollment. In the open invitation Bonner sent to all student class emails, he said the committee was hoping to hear student perspectives on various topics related to the search, such as the University’s current strengths and weaknesses, as well as the qualities students would like to see in the next dean of students.
During the session, students shared ideas about the experiences and characteristics they believe are necessary for the dean of students. A recurring theme was the importance of familiarity with the University’s culture of self-governance, with third-year College student Navya Aenugu stating that self-governance is central to the University’s identity.
“Self-governance shapes U.Va. and makes it unique when compared to any other university … the idea that we choose the events we put on, the way that we go about [the] Honor system, the way that we organize ourselves, really speaks to U.Va.’s culture,” Aenugu said. “I think it is really important for the dean to understand student self-governance.”
Students also emphasized the need for a dean to be visible and approachable, actively engaging with the student body. Third-year College student Nicholas Whitener said that the next dean should prioritize making themselves available to students, as well as identify helpful resources for students that they may otherwise have difficulty finding.
“I think the dean of students should be available during school times,” Whitener said. “But I also think that the dean should help guide students towards resources that they think would maximize their time at U.Va., and help better enrich their academic career[s], socially, mentally and [through] other avenues.”
Whitener and other students, as well as members of the committee, cited Rucker’s performance as interim dean as a model for future deans to follow, describing him as consistently present and engaged with the student body. Whitener spoke on his observations of Rucker’s approachable style, having an uplifting and positive presence that helps make him welcoming to students.
“Every time I've seen Dean Rucker, he always has a smile on his face, he always says, ‘Hello, how are you,’” Whitener said. “I think that's a good tool to help build connections with the students.”
Students from the session who wished to share more information, as well as students who were unable to attend or wished to remain anonymous, were given a survey that was used to solicit more feedback. According to Bonner, the committee will continue to incorporate feedback and other outreach efforts into the search process to ensure student responses are taken into account.
Once a candidate has been chosen and announced, Bonner said that the University will be looking to facilitate many opportunities for students to engage with them during the onboarding process.
“The introduction of the new dean of students to the community and the opportunity to start building relationships, especially with students, will be a top priority,” Bonner said.
According to Bonner, the search committee will be providing periodic updates as they move closer to the end of the search and hopes to communicate major milestones throughout the process.
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