Athens, Ga. -William M. McDonald, vice president for student life and dean of students at Presbyterian College, today was named dean of students at the University of Georgia, effective Jan. 1, pending Board of Regents approval.
The announcement was made today by Rodney Bennett, vice president for student affairs.
“Dr. McDonald brings to UGA a strong student-centered philosophy and the managerial and leadership expertise to ensure that our students are well-served in all areas supervised by the Dean of Students,” said Bennett.
As dean of students, McDonald will oversee a number of departments including, among others, Greek Life, Judicial Programs, Leadership and Service, Center for Student Organizations, Campus Reservations, WUOG-FM 90.5, SGA, University Union, Tate Student Center, and Intercultural Affairs.
Prior to joining Presbyterian College in 2002, McDonald held various student affairs related positions at Carson-Newman College, Memphis State University, UGA, Catawba College and Lenoir-Rhyne College.
McDonald received a B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an M.A. from Appalachian State University, and a doctorate from the University of Tennessee.
His scholarly interests include building campus community, assessing student perceptions of community, and developing model programs for faculty involvement in residence halls. McDonald is the editor of Creating Campus Community: In Search of Ernest Boyer’s Legacy (Jossey-Bass 2002), and author of numerous related articles and papers.
Laura Dean will continue to serve as interim dean of students through December 2010.She will then return full time to her teaching position in the College Student Affairs Administration Program
