Andrea Dowhower has been appointed as Penn State’s permanent vice president for Student Affairs, effective May 2, after having held the position in an interim capacity since February 2023.
Dowhower oversees 28 administrative units employing about 1,500 full- and part-time staff dedicated to student health and well-being; student involvement; student responsibility; diversity, equity and inclusion; residence life and career services.
“Andrea’s proven leadership and deep understanding of Penn State has greatly bolstered Student Affairs over the past 14 months and I’m delighted that she has agreed to take on this permanent role,” said Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi. “Our students rely on Penn State for so much more than an education. They want to know their school is welcoming, diverse and supportive of them. Andrea and her team have launched new initiatives that meet those needs across areas such as Campus Recreation, University Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, and Health Promotion and Wellness. Her leadership has been essential in advancing Student Affairs in providing needed support for our students outside of the classroom.”
With more than 35 years of experience in higher education and student affairs, Dowhower has specialized in studying student life on campus, including projects such as assessing alcohol use and its consequences, fraternity and sorority life, campus diversity climate, the experiences of African American men, students’ first-year experience, student satisfaction and the National Survey of Student Engagement.
“I’m thrilled that Andrea has agreed to take on this important and challenging role in a permanent capacity,” said Interim Executive Vice President and Provost Tracy Langkilde, to whom Dowhower will report. “She is a tireless advocate for the student experience and has a deep understanding of all of the complexities involved in providing appropriate, leading-edge student support at a university the size and scope of Penn State.”
Before accepting the role of interim vice president, Dowhower held the position of associate vice president for Student Affairs since 2017, overseeing the Parents Program, Campus Recreation, University Health Services, and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Dowhower also co-supervised and provided leadership for student transition issues and created an enhanced two-day student orientation program to address the issue. Dowhower also advocated for change-of-campus and transfer students by initiating a cohesive transition program and assists with the coordination of the President’s Convocation.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to continue to lead our dedicated Student Affairs staff, to partner with our academic colleagues, and to collaborate with student leaders to advance student success,” Dowhower said. “There are many opportunities, and I am excited to advance initiatives to promote student engagement, to support students through challenging times, and to provide resources to ensure students can achieve their academic goals while maintaining their well-being.”
As interim vice president, Dowhower has led the Student Affairs division through the changes in the University’s budget model and also led efforts to advance an integrated model of student health and well-being. She served as a co-lead for the University’s Phase 1 strategic planning effort around enhancing student success and she is the project lead for the student resource hub initiative, designed to maximize the positive impact of the University’s student services and enable innovations to better address the needs of undergraduate and graduate students — especially those who may be first-generation students or from underrepresented or marginalized communities
Throughout her time in Student Affairs, Dowhower has supported and worked closely with the Commonwealth Campuses, serving as the primary liaison between University Park Student Affairs and the campuses. She coordinated support across a variety of units, including DEIB areas, student conduct, Title IX, career services, counseling, residence life and others.
She led the initiative to expand counseling services across the commonwealth and helped to bring a full-time Penn-State-employed counselor to every campus with University-wide services and a dedicated assistant director at University Park to support campus staff. In partnership with Undergraduate Education, she led the efforts to enhance student transitions through the creation of change-of-campus transition programs, the current model of new student orientation, and the office of Student Orientation and Transition Programs.
Dowhower created the Penn State Parents Program in partnership with Undergraduate Education and University Development, as well as provided leadership for the student fee process, first through chairing the student activity fee board for more than 10 years, then assisting with the transition to the Student Initiated Fee and advising the Commonwealth Campus Student Fee Board. She also advised the Graduate and Professional Student Association and the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments for many years.
Dowhower has served as an affiliate faculty member in the College of Education for the professional preparation program in higher education/student affairs, where she taught several classes, assisted with admissions, coordinated the assistantship program, and served as an academic adviser.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dowhower oversaw a number of the University’s student-facing health and safety efforts, including contact tracing, student support during quarantine and isolation, on-campus testing, and others.
During her tenure with Penn State, Dowhower has also led efforts to create the University-wide Coalition on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity to help the growing network of LGBTQIA+ students across the Commonwealth Campuses. After identifying a need for more inclusion, she helped transition the group into the Coalition on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, expanding the focus to include multiple other identities across Penn State.
Before her AVP roles, Dowhower served as director and senior research analyst (2004-2009) for Student Affairs Research and Assessment, where she explored various student-focused issues and used research to shape strategic planning and decision-making.
Dowhower has served on multiple University-wide committees, including the Middle States Accreditation Self Study Working Group; Transforming Education Steering Committee; International Student Recruitment and Experience Task Force; and co-chair of the Presidential Task Force addressing food and housing security.
She holds a doctorate in educational policy and leadership from Ohio State and a master of education degree in counselor education from Penn State.
LAST UPDATED MAY 2, 2024
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