Dr. Chris MacDonald has been named executive director of Housing and Residence Life at West Virginia University, effective February 1. MacDonald is currently the executive director of University Housing at Georgia Southern University.
The new leadership position was created by Vice President of Student Life Dr. Bill Schafer as part of an initiative to enhance the operations, programs and services of a comprehensive student-centered system consisting of University-owned and operated student housing and public-private partnerships.
As executive director, MacDonald will report directly to the vice president of Student Life and will provide strategic vision and leadership for both student development and the operations components of Housing and Residence Life.
“This new position will play a key role in helping us move our efforts forward to change the culture at WVU and advancing student success,” said Schafer, “Dr. MacDonald brings more than 20 years of experience in student affairs, primarily in housing and residence life, but is committed to enhancing the student experience beyond housing.”
“He brings vision and experience needed to elevate student housing on campus and I look forward to working with him to build on the many successes and continuing the excellence WVU Housing and Residence Life already has in place.”
MacDonald will work with Dr. Schafer and other university leaders, including Academic Affairs, to build strong academic and community partnerships; enhance student-centered learning; and provide high-quality living environments, including re-imagined and reinvigorated, vibrant student living-learning communities – outcomes that Schafer believes will meet the changing needs of students while supporting the institutional mission of advancing a culture of academic excellence and student success.
“I was most attracted to the ways WVU epitomizes the dynamic and purposeful mission of a land-grant institution, and the intent that President Gee, Student Life, and student leadership have challenged the entire Mountaineer community to pursue a campus culture that will serve as an exemplar of that mission,” said MacDonald. “The students I spent time with during my visit impressed me with their spirit to serve the institution.”
In this role, MacDonald will provide oversight of annual multi-million dollar budget, provide direction for approximately 55 full-time staff members, 24 graduate assistants, and nearly 500 resident assistants and student employees working in residential life, housing operations and facilities, assignments, and conferences.
Prior to Georgia Southern University, he served students and staff in several different roles at Virginia Tech and Loyola University Maryland. He worked at Virginia Tech for 11 years, working his way up to associate director of Residence Life, in addition to earning his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies while at Virginia Tech. At Loyola, he served as the assistant director of Student Life.
WVU owns 12 residence halls and leases one additional hall, offering gender neutral, coed and single-sex housing in single, double, triple and quad rooms. The University is currently expanding its residential capacity to accommodate more undergraduate, graduate and professional students living on the Downtown and Evansdale campuses. Over the last three years, WVU has added approximately 2,600 new beds through strategic public-private partnerships bringing housing capacity to 5,533 beds in residence halls and 2,234 beds in apartment settings.
-WVU-
ta/01/11/16
Contact: Sabrina Cave, Student Life
Sabrina.cave@mail.wvu.edu; 304.293.2506
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