Buena Vista University Welcomes New Vice President for Student Services/Dean of Students

Dr. Keith Betts is the new Vice President for Student Services/Dean of Students, and he has accepted. Keith will assume his new responsibilities on August 1. He is currently Senior Executive Director, Division of Student & Academic Support Services at The George Washington University.

Dr. Betts is a tremendous talent and just the right person to lead our Student Services effort. His higher education career spans over twenty years, with broadly-based experiences that will serve him well. He is highly intelligent, a charismatic leader, and keenly interested in students.

Dr. Betts holds a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration and an MBA from George Washington. He earned two bachelor’s degrees; one in Management, summa cum laude, from Lock Haven University, and one in Administration and Physiology, with honors, from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom.

As Senior Executive Director, Keith has been a key leader in GW’s student services program. He led the following efforts:
· Developed a comprehensive action plan to advance an optimal student life agenda throughout the University.
· Developed forty-six recommendations that will brand and enhance the GW student wellness experience, including recreational/intramural sports, health and fitness services, and counseling. Many of the recommendations have already been implemented.
· Created and now co-directs the Student & Academic Support Services Research Consortium, the primary clearinghouse for all research and assessment initiatives in support of student affairs programs and services.
· Devised a comprehensive strategic plan to cultivate students from their first association with the University through graduation. This plan includes a recommendation to coordinate, package, and promote all student-alumni career assistance and networking services throughout the University.

Dr. Betts spent nine years in GW’s alumni relations office, ultimately holding the post of Executive Director of Alumni Affairs. In that role, he managed a staff of sixteen and provided guidance to a board of sixty and a network of hundreds of volunteers. Keith had many accomplishments in the alumni relations area, among them a twenty-fold increase attendance at homecoming and reunion events. He also initiated and directed innovative programs to create lifelong relationships between current students and the University through student-alumni mentoring programs, student-alumni career networking events, and by creating the Young Alumni Council and the Student-Alumni Society.

For nine years, Keith worked in GW’s athletic department as a successful golf and soccer coach and administrator. He was selected to be a state and regional staff coach by the United States Soccer Federation. In addition, he managed event and ticketing operations for all major activities in a 5,000-seat arena.

Dr. Betts has been named National Employer of the Year by the GW Event Management Program. He was also elected to the Omicron Delta and Pi Kappa Phi honor societies. He has served as an Adjunct Faculty Member at GW’s School of Public Health and Health Services and Drexel University’s School of Education.

Dr. Betts will be joined by his wife, Dr. Kristen Betts, and their daughters Madison and McKenzie. Kristen is an Assistant Professor in Drexel’s School of Education. She also directs the School’s Higher Education Program, a rapidly growing online offering. Kristen holds a BA in Spanish and a Master of Arts in Education from William and Mary. She earned a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from George Washington.

We have found a truly marvelous leader in Keith Betts, and I am grateful to the Search Committee for their outstanding work. Members are: Drs. Jacquie Johnson, Stan Bochtler, Brian Lenzmeier, and Jill Rhea; Jan Travis, Rachelle Brennan, and Matt Wittry. As always, Donna Schoneboom provided extraordinary administrative support to the Committee, and we were ably assisted by Bill Spelman of William H. Spelman Executive Search.