Dean of students, vice chancellor chosen

After months of searching, the University announced its selection of the new dean of students and associate vice chancellor for student affairs Thursday.

Jonathan Sauls, the interim dean of students and judicial programs officer, will formally take on the deanship Monday.

Bettina C. Shuford will leave her post as assistant vice president for student affairs at Bowling Green State University to step into the vice chancellor job, effective April 4.

Sauls received both his undergraduate and law degrees from UNC and has worked in the dean of students office since 2005, serving as interim dean of students since July.

“I was honored,” Sauls said of the appointment. “It’s a big challenge, a big opportunity. There’s a lot of stuff we can do … I have a good chance to carry on a lot of good work by people before me.”

He said he’s not a fan of the “status quo” and plans to expand the scope of the department, adding that focusing on the Greek system is one of his top priorities.

“There’s a lot of work to be done in the area of fraternity and sorority life, and I’m really committed to interacting there,” he said.

“Part of my job — I thinks it’s a great opportunity too — is to build on the foundation we already have but also build on academic success, personal success and the opportunity to grow.”

Sauls also said he would give more focus to graduate and professional students.

“We don’t want to fully overlook the fact that one third of our campus is graduate and professional students,” he said.

But first, he said, there are administrative tasks to be done, including filling his old judicial programs position and reaching out to other departments.

“I’m intrigued about the opportunities to work with colleagues across campus, in academic affairs and others,” he said.

The homecoming will be of a different sort for Shuford, who grew up in North Carolina but attended N.C. Central University and UNC-Greensboro.

Shuford, who is filling the role Winston Crisp served before his promotion last year to vice chancellor for student affairs, has more than 20 years of experience in student affairs leadership between roles at UNC-Greensboro and Bowling Green State University.

Originally from a small town near Salisbury, Shuford said she was attracted to the opportunity at UNC because of Chapel Hill’s proximity to family members. She added that her experience in dealing with the budget cuts in Ohio will be valuable as she confronts similar challenges at UNC.

“It was just an opportunity to have a different experience at this point and time in my professional career,” she said.

Crisp said her strong diversity and student life background makes her a qualified choice for the position, which covers programs such as CTOPS, as well as campus health and LGBTQ issues.

“She really brings a package of substantive experience that is exactly what we’re looking for to balance off the strengths of everybody else,” he said.

Crisp said her diversity as a black woman did play a factor in her hiring. Some officials criticized the executive vice chancellor and provost search last year, which produced four white males as finalists.

“We’re looking for the best mixture and the best package and certainly diversity is a part of that,” he said. “A part of inclusivity and accessibility is students being able to look around and identify faculty and staff that they can identify with.”

Shuford said she was excited to hone her commitment to diversity back in her native southeast.

“It looked like they were doing some program that could help transform students lives and experiences,” she said.

Contact the University Editor at university@dailytarheel.com.