The university announced on Feb. 20 that Dee Dee Anderson was named the preferred candidate for the position of Vice President for Student Affairs and Vice Provost.

Southern Miss SGA sponsored open forums for the three candidates early in the spring semester. Anderson returned to campus after the announcement to continue her interview process.

She currently serves as Interim Vice Chancellor for Student Development at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Prior to her appointment at UT-C in 2006, she served as Dean of Student Development at Louisiana Tech University.

According to the Southern Miss website, the Office of Vice President for Student Affairs and Vice Provost “holds supervisory responsibility for a wide range of activities, programs and services that enhance the quality of life of the university community.” The Vice President for Student Affairs is in charge of many areas on campus including Greek Life, UPD, student organizations, volunteer opportunities and more student-related departments.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Steven Moser said the screening committee led by Associate Dean Julie Reid was in charge of selecting finalist candidates from a pool of applicants earlier this spring.

“Dr. Anderson is a visionary and dedicated student services professional with demonstrated experience in building student services programs, increasing student engagement, developing the student experience outside the classroom, and strategic and longrange planning,” Moser said.