Todd Olson can finally unpack his paperweights and picture frames. Provost Jim O’Donnell officially appointed him as Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students on Monday morning. Olson has held that position on an interim status since July 2003.
Olson beamed as he accepted congratulatory hugs from colleagues and friends at a small ceremony in the Leavey Program Room. In a short speech, Olson thanked members of the University community and emphasized continuity. “We were not standing still during this interim period, so I think this is just a vote of confidence in the ability to keep moving forward in a positive direction,” Olson said. He highlighted the ongoing development of the New South Student Center and creation of new learning community floors as policy priorities.
The University normally conducts a nationwide search for an administrator to fill positions, but University President John J. DeGioia and O’Donnell had enough confidence in Olson to remove the interim label from his title without conducting a costly and time-consuming search. “He’s made an extensive impact on the community. The level of support and unanimity of support has been very reassuring,” O’Donnell said.
Govt. professor Anthony Arend, who chaired the search committee that hired Olson as assistant vice president, echoed that approval. “He recognizes that the University is a community with many constituents and works well with those many constituents,” Arend said. He added that the Faculty Senate was unanimous in its support of Olson when approached by O’Donnell about his appointment.
Student perception is generally positive, though many think Olson has not carved out a distinct identity yet. Although he has not heard very much about Olson, Will Murtha (CAS ‘04) sees that as a positive. “I take it as a good thing that there’s not as much controversy swirling around Olson, because I know there was when Gonzalez clamped down on student issues,” Murtha said. The previous vice president of student affairs, Juan Gonzalez, left Georgetown last year after relations with students soured. Gonzalez angered the student body by eliminating block parties and butting heads with the LGBTQ community.
