Excerpt from the Wright State Guardian
In an interview with Provost Edwards, it was confirmed that the vice provost for student affairs (VPSA) position continues to be vacant.
In October, Dr. Gary Dickstein, the interim VPSA, accepted a position with the Dayton Public School system. Since then, the position has been vacant.
What is the VPSA?
The position of VPSA currently supervises numerous campus departments that are student service-oriented.
According to the Student Affairs website, one of their priorities is to “evidence quality in all operations, strive for continuous improvement and create a collaborative, caring and participative work environment.”
It was earlier reported that Edwards would name an interim VPSA prior to a national search in the spring. This stance has since been retracted.
“Student Affairs is an incredibly well-oiled machine and my philosophy is ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t get in there and try to fix something that doesn’t need to be fixed.’ They work so incredibly well together. They’re very autonomous in their little areas and they just need someone they can touch base with, that’s provost. That’s not changing,” said Edwards.
Student Involvement and Leadership (then Student Activities) and the Student Union were reorganized together in 2017 due to university budget cuts.
This merged the educational aspect of Student Involvement and Leadership with the facilities aspect of the Student Union.
Structured currently based on ‘small tweaks’
“We’re working on that. Facilities part of the Student Union is reporting to facilities right now. The program side is more Student Affairs so we’re kind of moving back to the old model,” said Edwards.
According to Eric Corbitt, director of the student union, student involvement and leadership, and campus recreation, the Division of Student Affairs is evaluating how to provide the best level of service to the students it serves.
“The division is structured the way it is as a result of small tweaks and changes that have been implemented over time by various division and university leaders,” said Corbitt.
In the interim, Edwards has delegated various Student Affairs responsibilities between Chief Operating Officer (COO) Greg Sample and the provost.
