Dickerson to Take VP Position at Princeton

Janet Smith Dickerson, vice president for student affairs at Duke since 1991, has been appointed vice president for campus life at Princeton University, effective July 1.

Duke administrators plan to soon form a committee to conduct a national search for a successor.

At Duke, Dickerson has been responsible for the planning, management and budgetary oversight of undergraduate and graduate student affairs, ranging from counseling and career services to international and intercultural affairs, and from residential life and student activities to the women's center and community service. She has led efforts to create an alcohol policy and education program and to improve Duke's wellness and mental health services. She also has played a central role in efforts to diversify Duke's workforce and to improve the campus climate and culture.

"We value the leadership Janet has shown at Duke and her strong advocacy for students - all students," said President Nannerl O. Keohane. "She took an active role in creating a safer campus environment, through her work on alcohol policy and education, and increased wellness and mental health services. One of her first priorities involved securing the space for the Women's Center, which has become a vital contributor to campus life."

She also "distinguished herself especially in times of crisis or loss," Keohane said. "She was adept at bringing people together. During the scrutiny of residential life and the creation of the first-year campus, she raised the bar on issues of diversity, leading our community to think thoroughly about issues that stretch beyond the obvious ones of race, gender and sexual orientation, to include differences in culture, age and physical abilities. Janet held up a mirror to Duke's campus, pointing out how decisions related to alcohol, housing and curriculum affect a variety of people.

"We will miss her vibrant presence on campus, and wish her all the best in her new endeavors at Princeton."

Dickerson said she has mixed emotions about the move.

"On the one hand, you feel like you have a great job (at Princeton), all the opportunities in the world ahead of you, but it's very hard to leave Duke and the beautiful environment here," she said.

Dickerson said she is proud of many accomplishments during her nine years at Duke, including the role that student affairs has played in transforming East Campus into a first-year campus, in expanding the array of dining services available to students, in improving the residential opportunities for students and in helping the Women's Center, the International House, the Freeman Center for Jewish Life and the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Life and other student groups flourish.

"I am proud to be a nine-inning pitcher, because some people didn't think I would be able to stay more than two or three years," she said.

Dickerson added that she hopes and expects her office's work on the alcohol policy ‚ and the role of alcohol in campus culture ‚ to continue. "We've put in the pilings and now we have a wonderful group of people in place as well as the will to continue to have conversations, particularly about the secondary effects that alcohol has on others who are not binge drinkers."

In announcing Dickerson's appointment, Princeton President Harold T. Shapiro said: "Janet Dickerson has already demonstrated exceptional leadership as the chief student affairs officer at two excellent institutions, and we are delighted that she has now agreed to bring her skills, insights, and personal qualities to serve the students at Princeton."

In her new position at Princeton, Dickerson will oversee the office of the dean of undergraduate students, the department of athletics, the University Health Services, and the office of the dean of religious life and of the chapel. As vice president for campus life, Dickerson also will seek ways, in collaboration with the Graduate School, to enhance the quality of graduate student life and will oversee the new Frist Campus Center, which is expected to open early next fall.