WASHINGTON, Pa., Feb. 27, 2008 – Byron McCrae, Ph.D., associate vice president for student affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute, has been named to succeed Susan Yuhasz as vice president and dean of student life at Washington & Jefferson College.
Yuhasz announced her retirement, effective at the end of the current academic year, last August. McCrae will begin at W&J on July 1.
“I am very pleased to announce that Byron has accepted the position as vice president and dean of student life at
Washington & Jefferson College,” said W&J President Tori Haring-Smith. “He brings a wealth of experience to the position, and his work with the Greek system, with faculty, with counseling, and with athletics has prepared him to continue the momentum that has been generated during Susan Yuhasz’s tenure with W&J. The final pool of candidates was truly superb, but Byron stood out and I warmly welcome him to our community.”
McCrae will be a member of Haring-Smith’s senior staff, reporting directly to the president and leading the Student Life division, including athletics, career services, counseling services, Greek life, health services, multicultural affairs, protection services, residence life, student activities, student transitions programs, and volunteer services.
McCrae holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Salisbury University and a master’s degree in higher education from Syracuse University. He earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership, administration, and policy from Fordham University in 2006.
“I am extremely excited to join the W&J team and look forward to becoming a member of a campus community that truly ‘wowed’ me when I was on campus during the interview process,” McCrae said. “From what I have seen, I have no doubt that W&J is an incredible college community with a dedicated and committed student body, faculty, and staff.”
As associate vice president for student affairs at the San Francisco Art Institute since2005, McCrae supervises campus life, career services, counseling, disability services, housing and residence life, international student services and programs; initiates parent programs; and leads campus-wide security and crisis response initiatives. He serves on the president's cabinet and participates in institutional strategic planning as a member of the senior management team.
He also served as coordinator of student conduct at Montclair State University, where he supervised student discipline; as assistant dean of student affairs at Sarah Lawrence College, where he supervised the director of student activities and provided leadership to activities programs and staff; and as assistant dean of student life at the University of Oregon, where, among other things, he supervised two educator/advocates; participated on the management team for the Office of Student Life; and convened and chaired the Alcohol Policy Task Force, Alliance for Sexual Assault Prevention, and Substance Abuse Prevention Team.
“I am inspired to work in student affairs because I imagine myself as having a small hand in shaping the next generation of leaders who will have the ‘big ideas’ in arts, culture, education, law, public service, politics, and science. I often find myself inspired by the students I serve, and learn as much, if not more, from them as I hope to teach them,” McCrae said about his philosophy. “With my overall approach to student affairs, I intend to help every student learn who she or he might want to be, and to get her or him started on the path of personal discovery.”
About Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, located in Washington, Pa., is a national liberal arts college founded in 1781. Committed to providing each of its students with the highest-quality undergraduate education available, W&J offers a traditional liberal arts curriculum emphasizing interdisciplinary study and independent student work.
For more information about W&J, visit www.washjeff.edu, or call 888-926-3529.
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