Mount St. Mary’s University has appointed Adrienne D. White, Ph.D., as dean of students. White, who began her tenure in late July, oversees the university’s student life services, including residence life, campus activities, student diversity, campus ministry, counseling services and new student programs. Her role is integral to the Mount’s commitment to fostering a positive student life culture that drives student success.
White previously served as director of student success coaching at George Mason University and brings experience in student success and higher education leadership. She serves on the Mount’s senior leadership team, reporting to the president.
“An engaging and dynamic person, Adrienne will connect well with the Mount community, especially students. I look forward to the positive impact Dr. White will have on our community,” said President Gerard J. Joyce, Ph.D., who noted that White, through NASPA, the association of student affairs administrators in higher education, collaborated with colleagues across the country to establish a knowledge community specifically for success coaching, which now includes more than 400 professionals.
In her role at George Mason, White managed two departments, developing and overseeing professional and peer coaching programs, as well as the Patriot Experience program. Her responsibilities also included strategic planning, recruiting, onboarding and training staff members, and overseeing budget planning.
In addition to her work in success coaching, White led initiatives in co-curricular student experience platforms, early alert and intervention strategies and first-year initiatives. She was instrumental in building relationships with stakeholders to ensure integrated student support, aligning with the university’s strategic plan.
White’s leadership extended to standardizing program procedures, managing outreach events and leading committees for large-scale student success platform implementations. Her efforts in strategic planning and assessment, including data analytics, were key in guiding long-term goals related to retention and student success.
White received her bachelor’s degree in audiology from the University of Tennessee, a Master of Science in education focused on higher education and student affairs from Indiana University, and a doctorate from George Mason University in education, specializing in higher education. She attended the Institute for Administrators in Catholic Higher Education at Boston College in preparation for her role at the Mount.