Karen Boyd’s résumé has some items one might not expect from a candidate interviewing to be the University’s new Dean of Students. She has performed as the lead singer for a Pink Floyd cover band and played Eve Ensler in a production of “The Vagina Monologues.”
- Jed Moch/Daily
But Boyd, who has 20 years of student leadership experience, is one of three finalists to take on that job on campus. Yesterday all University students were invited to a meet-and-greet with the potential dean to voice their opinions and play an active role in the evaluation process.
During the informal lunch, students were invited to discuss campus issues with Boyd. After, students were encouraged to submit comments and feedback online to have a say in the narrowing of finalists from three to one, according to an article in the University Record.
If Boyd gets the job, it won’t be the first time she has worked closely with students. As the senior associate dean of student life at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she influenced student ethical development and provided leadership to student activities, including Greek Life and media services, according to a biography released by the University.
Boyd is also the former president and conference chairperson for the International Association for Student Conduct Administrators, an organization that aims to set conduct standards for higher education institutions. She’ll also be the chairperson for the Association for Student Judicial Affair’s Academy for Student Conduct Administration, a conference to educate higher education administrators.
In addition to her job as associate dean at Georgia Tech, Boyd is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia. Her dissertation focuses on the role of universities and campus institutions on the social and personal responsibility of students.
Before becoming a Ph.D. candidate, Boyd attended the University of North Carolina and Appalachian State University.
The two other dean finalists — Laura Jones, interim dean of students and director of the office of student life at the University of Oregon and Richard Walker, assistant vice president for student affairs at the University of Miami — will be at open lunches on Wednesday and Thursday.
The lunches are one of the final steps in the search process to replace former Dean of Students Sue Eklund, who retired last year.