Jessica White selected as interim assistant dean of students

July 20, 2023

Jessica White has been named interim assistant dean of students at Maryville College, effective with the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year.

White came to MC in 2017 as the director of student services, having previously worked at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio, where she served as a victim advocate in CSCC’s Student Life Division. Previous employers include Loyola University (Maryland), where she was an assistant director in student life, and the University of Vermont, where she was a residence hall director and member of the university’s Commission on Diversity and Inclusion.

Her teaching and mentoring experience includes courses for undergraduates in the first year and leadership for the Messina First-Year Orientation and Living Learning program at Loyola. White holds a bachelor’s degree from the Ohio State University, where she majored in microbiology, and a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs with a focus in social justice education from the University of Arizona.

During White’s six years in the MC Division of Student Affairs, she has been responsible for leading and supporting residential education and programs, Title IX, student orientation and social justice initiatives. In various positions throughout the division, she has established campus-wide collaborations between staff, faculty and the local community to promote student wellbeing. In addition, she brings experience in restorative practices, advocacy for marginalized populations and equitable and accessible resources, and commitment to student-centered and data-informed policies, procedures and practices. 

In her new position, White will provide interim leadership for student conduct, new and transfer student orientations, and will continue to lead violence prevention (PAVE) and wellness education initiatives. In addition to serving as senior conduct officer, she will co-chair the MC Cares team, lead the planning of new student orientations, co-advise the Peer Mentor program, and chair both the Coordinated Community Response Team and the Wellness Council.

“Prior to accepting this interim appointment, Jessica has demonstrated her dedication to the success of the team by providing support for housing operations while we fill vacancies in that department,” said Dr. Ja’Wanda Grant, vice president and dean of students. “In doing so, she is building relationships campus-wide that will be valuable in her new role. I am delighted to have Jessica support our growing student affairs division, with a focus on student-centered policies and procedures and practices and strategic planning. Jessica also brings strong restorative justice perspectives to her role as senior conduct officer.” 

Maryville College is a nationally-ranked institution of higher learning and one of America’s oldest colleges. For more than 200 years we’ve educated students to be giving citizens and gifted leaders, to study everything, so that they are prepared for anything — to address any problem, engage with any audience and launch successful careers right away. Located in Maryville, Tennessee, between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the city of Knoxville, Maryville College offers nearly 1,200  students from around the world both the beauty of a rural setting and the advantages of an urban center, as well as more than 60 majors, seven pre-professional programs and career preparation from their first day on campus to their last. Today, our 10,000 alumni are living life strong of mind and brave of heart and are prepared, in the words of our Presbyterian founder, to “do good on the largest possible scale.”