UPDATED: 9:57 p.m. Tuesday, with quotes from Smith Jackson.
Jon Dooley has been named Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students, and will take over for Smith Jackson at the end of the academic year.
Provost Steven House announced the appointment Tuesday. Dooley currently serves as Assistant Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Campus Life, a position he's held since coming to Elon University in January 2014.
Dooley will be a member of President Leo Lambert's senior staff and oversee all aspects of student life, providing student services and co-curricular programs to advance student learning and development.
Student Life includes 90 staff members and 350 student employees spanning 15 departments such as Residence Life, Fraternity and Sorority Life and Campus Recreation.
In his current position, Dooley has overseen implementation of Elon's residential campus initiatives and co-chaired the Presidential Task Force on Social Climate and Out-of-Class Engagement. He's helped lead civic engagement programs and initiatives promoting inclusivity and diversity.
"The students at this institution are amazing," Dooley said, "in the quality of the work they do, the passion that they have for the things they care about, the way they seek out opportunities and really want to make the most of their educational experience. To be able to have a role like this, working with the kinds of students we have at Elon, is a tremendous opportunity."
Prior to Elon, Dooley held several leadership positions over 16 years in the Office of Student Development at Marquette University. He has a doctorate in educational policy and leadership from Marquette, a master's degree in counseling psychology from James Madison University and a bachelor's degree in history and social studies education from St. Norbert College.
Dooley noted Elon's commitment to the student experience, referencing intellectual climate discussions and presidential task forces.
"Those are all examples of ways the university has taken the interests and concerns of students seriously," Dooley said. "It's a pretty special opportunity to work at a university who takes the student experience as seriously as it's taken here at Elon."
Jackson, whom Dooley replaces, is stepping down at the end of the academic year. He has worked at Elon in some capacity for more than 23 years, and served as Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students since 1998.
Dooley said details of the transition are still being determined.
"Dr. Jackson is, without question, a transformative leader for this institution," Dooley said. "Many of the things that we enjoy at the university today in the student experience are ones that he helped innovate or put in place or spearhead in some way. It's been an honor to work with him over the past couple of years and to learn from him.
"I think at a place like Elon, where planning is taken so seriously, there are already plans that we have in place that I imagine we will continue moving forward. ... I look forward to being able to work with him for a long time to come."
Jackson called Dooley a "strong collaborator," noting how widespread the initiatives he's led have been and how they've incorporated faculty and students from across campus. Jackson told a story of how in spring 2014, when the university had its longest shutdown due to severe weather, Dooley, then just a few months into his tenure, slept in his office.
"He took care of students, and communicated really well with students," Jackson said. "He was new, but you would've thought he'd been here for quite a while. That was a great example of good things to come in terms of his commitment to students."
Jackson said he'll take some time off after the academic year, and then work on some "special projects" for Lambert.
He meets with Dooley once a week, one-on-one, and speaks with him daily. He said he's "delighted for Jon," and that Dooley's "high capacity to do many things, and do each of them well," suits him well for the position.
"He believes in community engagement, he believes in hands-on learning, he believes in stretching the mind," Jackson said. "That's what Elon's about. That's why (Dooley) came here, and that's why he's going to do extremely well."