John Stein Named Vice President of Student Life

Following the departure of the vice president of Student Affairs in February and a study by the Office of Strategic Consulting, the Division of Student Affairs is getting a new name and new leader starting in the 2015-16 academic year.

Beginning August 1, John M. Stein, dean of students and interim vice president for Student Affairs, will officially assume the role as vice president of the newly named Division of Student Life. He will also remain as dean of students.

Stein recently finished his 13th year at Georgia Tech. He arrived in 2002 to serve as director of Success Programs and in 2006 became dean of students and assistant vice president of Student Affairs. He was promoted to associate vice president in 2013, and took on the additional responsibility of interim vice president in February of this year.

“I am honored and humbled to have been asked to lead the newly named Division of Student Life,” he said. “I continue to be excited by all the possibilities the Division has in our work with students, faculty, campus colleagues, alumni, and parents and families.”

The role of dean of students is an integral and historic one at Georgia Tech. The Office of the Dean of Students has long served as a place of advocacy and support for student needs and interests. By combining this role with that of vice president, the dean of students will now have a seat in the President’s Cabinet.

“John’s student-centered vision has been fundamental to his approach in the Office of the Dean of Students and during his time as interim vice president,” said President G.P. “Bud” Peterson. “He listens to students and is known for his positive, proactive advocacy. His ability to understand and appreciate Georgia Tech and its students will serve him well as he infuses that commitment throughout the Division of Student Life.”

A recently completed study from the Office of Strategic Consulting offers insights on the division’s strengths and opportunities. Nearly 300 students, parents, alumni, division staff, and campus partners and collaborators were engaged in the process.   

“The visioning project offers the division a blueprint for the future,” Stein said. “It also reaffirmed the good work and value of the staff in the division. We will use the report to plan the future as we collectively set priorities for our work with students.”

Prior to coming to Tech, Stein served as dean of students at Sarah Lawrence College and Manhattanville College, and worked in Student Affairs at Skidmore College, all in the state of New York. Stein holds degrees from State University of New York at Oneonta, Long Island University, and State University of New York at Albany. He relocated to Atlanta with his wife, Sue, and two children — now grown — for his initial appointment at Georgia Tech.

The Division of Student Life serves Tech’s population of more than 21,000 students with professional staff in numerous areas: the Office of the Dean of Students, Office of the Arts, Counseling Center, Office of Leadership Education and Development, Parents Program, Development for Student Affairs, an internal Office of Research and Assessment, Disability Services, Greek Affairs, Leadership and Civic Engagement, New Student and Sophomore Programs, Student Diversity Programs, Student Integrity, Student Media, Women’s Resource Center, Veterans Resource Center, and LGBTQIA Resource Center. The Dean of Students also advises the Student Government Association.