SU appoints Steffes as associate vice president for student affairs

SU appoints Steffes as associate vice president for student affairsSeptember 30, 2005Roxanna Carpenterrocarpen@syr.edu

Syracuse University has named Jeanne S. Steffes associate vice president for student affairs in the Division of Student Affairs. Steffes, who comes to Syracuse from the University of Maryland, begins Oct. 3. She will assist the senior vice president and dean of student affairs in managing the division and will work in collaboration with the Dean’s Cabinet, the division’s primary leadership group, on strategic planning, policy development and implementation, fiscal management, advancing diversity initiatives and other efforts.

An innovative national leader with a proven track record of collaborative and innovative program development, Steffes brings to the University nearly 20 years of professional experience in higher education. A decade of mentoring students at Maryland and nine years in residential life at Northeastern University and Cornell University show her increasing focus on the fields of college student personnel and higher education administration.

Before coming to SU, Steffes was founding director of Maryland’s Beyond The Classroom (BTC) Living and Learning Program in the Division of Undergraduate Studies. BTC is an experiential instructional program of internships, research and service learning commitments for upper-level students. Earlier, she served as the coordinator for training and academic support programs in the Department of Resident Life at Maryland. Also at Maryland, Steffes was a graduate academic advisor and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Counseling and Personnel Services in the College of Education, and an adjunct faculty member in the College of Business Management. At Northeastern, she served as an area coordinator, then assistant director, in residential life. At Cornell, she was a residence hall director.

Steffes holds leadership positions in a number of national professional associations. She is the president-elect and past president of the American College Personnel Association (ACPA). She has also served as president of the Maryland College Personnel Association (MCPA). Steffes has been an active leader with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the National Association for Women in Education (NAWE). She is author or presenter of numerous publications, consultations and presentations, including a forthcoming book chapter on faculty collaborations on campus. Among her many awards, most recent is the 2005 William L. Thomas Mentoring Award from Maryland’s College of Education, Department of College Student Personnel, honoring excellence in mentoring between higher education professionals and graduate students in the department. She has also been honored with awards from the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) and the Association of College and University Housing Offices-International (ACUHO-I).

“I’m thrilled that Jeanne has agreed to join our team at Syracuse University. She is a nationally renowned leader with a deep commitment to higher education,” says Barry L. Wells, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “Jeanne is a proven and effective educator and administrator who is student-centered in her approach and who understands our commitment to excellence and creating a diverse campus community.”

Steffes received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Marquette University, a master’s degree in physical education and recreation sports management from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in educational policy and leadership from Maryland.

The Division of Student Affairs at Syracuse University is working to achieve its vision of becoming the international leader in student-centered, co-curricular education, demonstrating a commitment to collaborative learning, citizen development and the celebration of diversity. The Division’s vision is charted in its 2001-06 Strategic Plan, which is available athttp://students.syr.edu.