Luoluo Hong was named UW-Madison's new dean of students Monday.
Hong succeeds Alicia Ch??vez who left the position in January. She comes to UW-Madison after serving as assistant vice president of student affairs and dean of students at Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, W. Va.
Hong was one of four finalists for the position to visit UW-Madison in August upon the recommendation of a search and screen committee composed of students, staff and faculty.
\We have received nothing but outstanding reports from the students, faculty and staff who met with [Hong] during her interview process,"" UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley said in a statement.
UW-Madison Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Paul Barrows said Hong's experience was a crucial factor in her selection.
""She's the only sitting dean of students of all the finalists in the pool, [and] she's well experienced in terms of the wide exposures and areas of responsibility that she's had that cut across the various areas of student life,"" Barrows said.
Jessica Miller, a student member and co-chair of the dean of students search committee, said she agrees, adding that Hong's experience in student health as director of Wellness Education and Outreach Services at Louisiana State University will be an asset.
""I think [it's] a very useful background when coming into this kind of position because it allows the person to have a lot of experience in counseling, grief and emergency crisis situations,"" she said.
The dean of students is intended to serve as a resource for students and faculty by encouraging a healthy and diverse campus climate, crisis support services and by advocating for student needs.
Hong said she believes the dean of students is in a position ""to help create a welcoming, inclusive environment for all students.""
In an effort to achieve this, she said she aims to make the Dean of Students Office more visible and more accessible to students.
""[I want to] clarify understanding and educate people about what role the Dean of Students Office can be, ought to be, needs to be,"" Hong said. ""The other issue is accessibility so that students feel they have advocacy.""
Barrows said he is confident Hong will live up to these expectations.
""In all of the reference checks, she's been very accessible,"" he said.
Hong said she believes it is important to reach out to students by not limiting her time on campus to traditional office hours.
""This job is trying to serve lots of different populations. Sometimes the best conversations are those when you stop by a student meeting and sit down for pizza,"" she said.
Ultimately, Hong says she is excited about the position, which she will assume Nov. 1.
""This is my dream job and I can't say enough how thrilled I am, how honored I am to serve in this role,"" she said.
