Penn State has named Steve Veldkamp special assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs, a position in which he’ll also function as the director of Fraternity and Sorority Life.

Veldkamp will “lead the implementation of vision and reform in the university’s fraternity and sorority communities,” according to a press release, and will “provide guidance, direction, and coordination for Fraternity and Sorority Life on all Penn State Commonwealth Campuses and will represent Penn State at regional and national gatherings in conjunction with the vice president for Student Affairs.”

Currently the executive director of the Center for Fraternity and Sorority Research at Indiana University Bloomington, Veldkamp has worked on a national assessment survey for campuses and headquarters and with university presidents on the alignment of fraternities and sororities with higher education.

He served as the assistant dean and director of Student Life and Learning at Indiana, supervising Greek life alongside other student organizations, student government, leadership programs, and community engagement programs.

Veldkamp is also the past director of the Interfraternity Institute. He’s a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the Association of Fraternity and Sorority Advisors, and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. Penn State’s own Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter remains in good standing.

“I am looking forward to helping create cultural change for Fraternity and Sorority Life at Penn State, and to fostering constructive relationships among undergraduates, alumni, national leaders and their organizations,” Veldkamp said in a release. “As we are part of the national dialogue, I am also enthusiastic about creating a new vision for what Greek life can be that connects back to the founding principles of Pennsylvania and our nation.”

Veldkamp earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and master’s degree in organizational communications and management from Grand Valley State University in Michigan. He later earned his doctoral degree in higher education and student affairs from Indiana.

The appointment comes after an exhaustive search to permanently replace the former director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Roy Baker, who left in fall 2015 for West Virginia University. Baker was later charged with a prostitution-related crime and left the post after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct.

Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Danny Shaha assumed the Fraternity and Sorority Life position on an interim basis from November of 2015 to July of 2017.

“Penn State is fortunate to have attracted a leader in this area with Steve’s exceptional experience, insight and reputation,” Penn State Vice President for Student Affairs Damon Sims said in a release. “I’m increasingly confident that the strong and innovative approach we’ve adopted to responding to both the challenges and the opportunities fraternities and sororities offer will succeed at Penn State and become a model for others to follow.”