UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Beginning June 1, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs Andrea Dowhower and Student Affairs will report to Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz. As a critical University leader, the vice president for Student Affairs will remain a member of President’s Council and will continue to head the unit, which oversees the delivery of programs and services for undergraduate and graduate students at Penn State in support of academic excellence; co-curricular learning; personal growth and development; and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
This organizational change will help to support President Neeli Bendapudi’s vision and goals to prioritize student success and align the curricular and co-curricular student experience.
“Evolving our approach to foster student success and integrate classroom and out-of-classroom experiences will help us continue to be transformational for our students and deliver on our promise to provide a world-class education,” Bendapudi said. “Andrea is a strong leader and her dedication to our students is remarkable. It’s been a pleasure to work with her, and I am so thrilled that she has agreed to remain in her interim role through the next academic year.”
At this time, the University will pause the search for the next vice president while Schwartz and Dowhower — who also serve as lead and a co-lead on Bendapudi’s student success goal — begin to work together to develop a vision for Student Affairs that centers on aligning students’ experiences outside and inside the classroom and on supporting the work of student affairs professionals across the University.
As Penn State’s chief academic officer, Schwartz will help to lead this integration and identify opportunities for collaboration among Student Affairs and the offices of Undergraduate Education and Educational Equity, as well as with the Commonwealth Campuses.
“Andrea and I are committed to the success of every Penn State student as a University priority,” Schwartz said. “I look forward to collaborating with her to put Penn State at the forefront in supporting our students and providing them with rewarding opportunities in and outside the classroom for engagement and development.”
The programs and services of Student Affairs are offered through 34 administrative units, with more than 500 full-time and 1,000 part-time staff. Student Affairs departments include Campus Recreation, Career Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Fraternity and Sorority Life, the Gender Equity Center, Residence Life, Student Care and Advocacy, Student Engagement Programs, Student Leadership and Involvement, and University Health Services.
Student Affairs facilities at University Park include 56 residence halls housing 15,000 students, the Student Health Center, Bank of America Career Services Center, Pasquerilla Spiritual Center/Eisenhower Chapel, and six campus recreation centers. The HUB-Robeson Center, Penn State’s most-utilized student facility, is home to student engagement/leadership offices, student government offices, more than 1,000 student organizations, art galleries, casual dining operations, the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and the Paul Robeson Cultural Center.
The vice president also provides consultative leadership to Student Affairs administrators at Penn State’s 20 Commonwealth Campuses, as well as the online Penn State World Campus.