In a Penn State administration organizational change set to begin on June 1, the Office of Student Affairs will report to recently-appointed Executive Vice President and Provost Justin Schwartz.

Interim Vice President of Student Affairs Andrea Dowhower will continue to lead the office and remain a member of the President’s Council through her work supporting the academic excellence of Penn State students.

“Evolving our approach to foster student success and integrate classroom and out-of-classroom experiences will help us continue to be transformational for our students and deliver on our promise to provide a world-class education,” President Neeli Bendapudi said in a release. “Andrea is a strong leader and her dedication to our students is remarkable. It’s been a pleasure to work with her, and I am so thrilled that she has agreed to remain in her interim role through the next academic year.” 

As a result of the organizational change, Penn State will pause its search for the next permanent vice president of Student Affairs while Schwartz and Dowhower integrate their offices and create opportunities for collaboration between Student Affairs and the offices of Undergraduate Education, Educational Equity, and Penn State’s Commonwealth Campuses.

“Andrea and I are committed to the success of every Penn State student as a University priority,” Schwartz said. “I look forward to collaborating with her to put Penn State at the forefront in supporting our students and providing them with rewarding opportunities in and outside the classroom for engagement and development.” 

The overarching goal of the organizational change and integration is to support Bendapudi’s goal to “prioritize student success and align the curricular and co-curricular student experience.”