Gustavus Adolphus College President Jack R. Ohle announced today (Thursday, March 10, 2011) that Dr. JoNes R. VanHecke ’88 has accepted the position of Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students at the College. She will assume the post effective June 15, 2011.
“As Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, Dr. VanHecke will bring tremendous insight and expertise to her alma mater,” said President Ohle. “She is a scholar and practitioner who will have broad reach and impact on our campus.” Among the programs she will oversee are Alcohol and Drug Education, Campus Safety, the Counseling Center, Multicultural Programs, Health Services, Judicial Affairs, Residential Life, and Student Activities.
Dr. VanHecke received her bachelor’s degree from Gustavus, where she majored in biology and communications. In 1990, she earned a master’s degree from Indiana University’s Higher Education Student Affairs program. Upon graduation, she accepted a position as the Associate Director of Residence Life at Virginia Wesleyan College in Norfolk, Va.
In 1994, she returned to Gustavus, where she served three years as the Director of Student Activities and five years as the Assistant Dean of Students. In the summer of 2001, she was selected as a participant at the HERS/Bryn Mawr College Summer Institute for Women in Higher Education.
Dr. VanHecke received her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan’s Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education in 2006. Her dissertation research focused on responsible citizenship. While at the University of Michigan, she was fortunate to work as a graduate research assistant on the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education with internationally known higher education scholars Marcia Baxter Magolda, Ernest Pascarella, and Patricia King, who also chaired her dissertation committee.
Dr. VanHecke has nearly 20 years of experience as a student affairs professional. Her research interests include college student development, liberal arts education, and citizenship and civic engagement. She has served as the Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Student Life at Central College, a liberal arts institution of higher education located in Pella, Iowa, since 2006.
“Gustavus is such a special community,” said Dr. VanHecke. “It will be my great privilege to work with Gustavus students and I’m excited to collaborate with outstanding colleagues to realize the College’s ambitious visions for the future.”
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