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Dwayne K. Todd, Ph.D., to Lead Efforts Supporting Transformative Residential Campus Experience
DELAWARE, Ohio – Ohio Wesleyan University today announced the appointment of Dwayne K. Todd, Ph.D., as vice president for student engagement and success. In his new role, Todd will lead the university’s student affairs division and oversee Ohio Wesleyan’s efforts to provide a transformative residential campus experience that supports student academic success and personal growth.
Todd currently serves as vice president for student affairs at Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), a position he has held since 2010. In this role, he oversees residence life, student involvement, counseling services, career services, multicultural affairs, academic advising, academic support services, disability services, campus dining services, student conduct processes, orientation and new student programs, campus safety and security, and student insurance programs.
“Dwayne Todd comes to Ohio Wesleyan with extensive experience in the design and implementation of evidence-based strategies to enhance student engagement and persistence,” said Vicki G. DiLillo, Ph.D., chair of the search committee and professor of psychology. “He possesses an impressive blend of skills in strategic planning and an intimate knowledge of the day-to-day operations of a division of student affairs.
“Dwayne’s clear commitment to the provision of a student-centered experience guides his implementation of creative initiatives that foster a sense of community for the students he serves,” DiLillo said. “Dwayne’s warm, collaborative style will make him a natural partner for students, staff, and faculty alike. We are very fortunate to have Dwayne join the OWU community as our vice president of student engagement and success.”
In addition to serving as CCAD’s vice president for student affairs, Todd also has served as the college’s associate vice president and dean of students, dean of students, and director of student affairs. During his nearly 15 years at CCAD, Todd has built a comprehensive student affairs division, helping to improve retention, enhance affinity for the college, and create other positive outcomes. Key initiatives under his leadership include establishing the CCAD MindMarket, which develops business-organizational partnerships to engage students in real projects, and creating a diversity task force that has authored the college’s first affirmative diversity statement and established a strategic plan to support and celebrate diversity.
“I am immensely excited to be joining the OWU community,” Todd said. “The passion for learning, commitment to students, and love for the institution were abundantly clear to me during my recent time on campus. I’m looking forward to working with faculty, staff, and students from across campus to improve the student experience. I can tell OWU is a special place, and I am eager to become a Bishop!”
Prior to joining CCAD in 2001, Todd served as an adjunct faculty member at Ohio Dominican University, the MBA assistant program chair at Franklin University, and the program coordinator in student development services at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where he also served as a residence hall director and Greek residential advisor.
Todd is actively involved in several professional organizations, including ACPA–College Student Educators International, a Washington, D.C.-based student affairs organization with nearly 7,500 members worldwide. He is the 2016-2017 president-elect of the ACPA Foundation and its 2017-2019 president.
He also is actively involved with the Pi Kappa Phi National Fraternity, serving in roles that have included Pi Kapp Pride chair, chartering officer, chapter advisor, and regional governor. In addition, Todd is a past president of the Ohio College Personnel Association and a member of NASPA–Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the Association for College and University Housing Officers–International, and the Association for Student Conduct Administration.
Todd earned his doctorate in higher education administration from The Ohio State University; Master of Divinity from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth; and Bachelor of Music from Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama.
He will join Ohio Wesleyan this summer and report to President Rock Jones, Ph.D., who said the breadth and depth of Todd’s 21-year higher education career will benefit OWU’s ongoing work to provide a premier liberal arts experience.
“When we began this search, we set out to find a ‘visionary, motivational, and collaborative leader with the capacity to be a catalyst for organizational change’ in our work to invest in and enhance Ohio Wesleyan’s residential campus experience,” Jones said. “With Dwayne, we have succeeded in this daunting task.
“Dwayne is a proven leader on his campus and in the higher education community,” Jones continued. “We look forward to having him lead our team of student affairs professionals. Ohio Wesleyan is committed to preparing our students to become moral leaders in the global society, and Dwayne will help us continue to fulfill this vital mission.”
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 87 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,675 students represent 43 U.S. states and territories and 33 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.