Lori White has been announced as the new vice chancellor for students, replacing Sharon Stahl on July 1.

White is currently the vice president for student affairs at Southern Methodist University and has over 30 years of experience in university student services in total. She served as associate vice president for student affairs at the University of Southern California before joining SMU and held positions at Stanford, Georgetown and San Diego State Universities, as well as the University of California, Irvine.

White noted her excitement for joining the Washington University community after everything she has heard from others and her experiences speaking with students while visiting the campus.

“Everyone that I have ever known who has been affiliated with Wash. U., either as a student or a faculty member, a staff member or alumni has spoken so positively in particular about the student experience, about the care and support that they were provided as students or that they in turn were encouraged to provide in their role as mentor, advisor, etc. So, that’s what really got me excited about exploring the possibility of coming to Wash. U.” White said.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences Barbara Schaal chaired the search committee for the position and noted that the job was highly competitive.

“We felt that this was probably the job in student services in the country…I think it was not one of the best, but the best opportunity in the country. Wash. U. is well known for our undergraduate program, so we felt that we should be able to attract really good candidates. I’m sure one or two universities might quibble with that, but we thought that we were extremely competitive to attract the best person in the country,” Schaal said.

Schaal expressed her excitement about being able to attract such high-caliber candidates and their success in finding the right fit for the job.

“We had fantastic candidates, just fantastic. And Dr. White was just incredible. We had great candidates and she just stood above, along with one or two other candidates. So she is first of all extremely professional and competent….it’s this amazing combination of being a high-level professional and an incredibly warm and pleasant person. We are very, very excited about attracting her here,” Schaal said.

Meaghan Binion, a sophomore at SMU, said that she would be sad to see White leave, but was happy for the students at Washington University who would gain much from her.

“Lori White is such an incredible role model and Wash. U. is so lucky to have her. I’ve only met her once in passing and to this day she still remembers who I am and will wave to me and ask me how my day is going. She’s one of those faculty members that truly cares about the students and will go out of her way to make sure they are having an awesome experience at school,” Binion said.

Chancellor Mark Wrighton noted his excitement about hiring White for the position of Vice Chancellor for Students.

“She met a large number of people here, including students and other leaders at the University, including Provost Thorp and myself and we concluded that she is the number one candidate. We were successful in making a great offer and she accepted it. We’re just thrilled. We think she’s the best student affairs professional in America,” Wrighton said. “She is a person who has great experience at a top-notch institution….She is articulate, energetic, creative, and has a good understanding of the issues that our students face and a good grip on the issues we as a university face. We believe she will be very effective in building on the strengths and contributions of Vice Chancellor Sharon Stahl, who has done a great job with us.”