Dean of students finalist to visit

The last of four finalists for the dean of students position will visit with students and others on campus this week, officials say.

During the visits, each finalist has given a short presentation on current issues in student affairs and student life, followed by a question-and-answer period.

Related resource: Background on the finalists’

Richard Johnson, assistant to the vice chancellor for student affairs, University of Missouri-Columbia, will appear at a campus forum Wednesday, April 19, from 4-5:30 p.m., Memorial Union (check Today in the Union for room). Johnson also will meet students informally Thursday, April 20, from 4-5 p.m., Dean of Students Conference Room, 73 Bascom Hall.

Johnson also has worked as director of the department of student life at Missouri. Earlier, he was assistant to the vice president for student affairs and director of the office of multicultural affairs at the University of Vermont.

The other finalists are Lisa C. Buenaventura, interim associate dean of student support services at Clark College in Vancouver, Wash.; Alicia Fedelina Chávez, assistant professor in the department of educational leadership at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio; and Jane DeGidio, director, Office of Student Retention Programs, University of Oregon.

A 15-member search and screen committee conducted a national search and recommended the finalists to Chancellor David Ward and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Paul Barrows. Committee membership was divided equally between faculty, academic staff and students.

The dean of students plays a leadership role in fostering and maintaining a multicultural and diverse institution that addresses the concerns of students of all backgrounds.

The new dean is expected to be named by the end of the spring semester. For more information about the finalists’ background, and how to participate in the selection process for this key position in Student Affairs, visit: http://www.wisc.edu/students/finalist.htm