Daniel: Most changes through

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Dean of Students Jack Daniel is not the only person… Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs and Dean of Students Jack Daniel is not the only person leaving student affairs for undergraduate affairs. Michele Scott Taylor, former assistant to the dean in student life and adviser to the Black Action Society, has followed Daniel to the academic side, at his request. Taylor, with whom Daniel said he has worked since her time as a residential director three or four years ago, will help with enrollment management, he said.

Despite Taylor’s recent move, Daniel said he hopes all the officials in student affairs will “bond together,” “stay the course” and remain there after he leaves.

“I have said to them, ‘Please don’t go,'” he said, adding that student affairs “really, really [has] exceptional people right now.”

Daniel indicated that not everyone would have gladly met some of the student affairs changes he oversaw.

“I realize it was necessary to change people, programs and values, but if you’re going to change, you can’t be popular,” he said.

But while some of Daniel’s decisions might have rubbed people the wrong way, he said he could not think of anyone who would be glad he is leaving student affairs.

“Every manager with whom I interact on a regular basis wanted me not to leave,” he said, adding that 92 percent of Pitt’s students are “highly satisfied.”

“To act is to make at least two decisions, never one. And I made a lot of decisions in a very short period of time,” Daniel said, explaining that any time he makes a decision, those who opposed that decision or wanted an alternative will be unhappy.

“I think the only people who might be bothered [by me] are the people who wanted things to go a way they didn’t go,” he said.

Provost James V. Maher created Daniel’s position in November 2002, when Maher reduced the number of provost positions from six to five by merging two and creating one for Daniel.

At the time, Maher explained to the board of trustees that the move would “provide for better service to students and make it possible to coordinate student and academic affairs more effectively than ever before.” Daniel, who was already serving as vice provost of academic affairs, had been filling the position of dean of students since Sharon Johnson resigned in July 2001.

Although the structure of the student affairs division has changed dramatically since Daniel took over Johnson’s position in 2001, Daniel said he believes it will remain fairly stable through the division of his job.

“I think we’re through with fundamental, structural changes to student affairs,” he said, though he added that eventual changes are always necessary, and that he couldn’t predict what might happen in five or ten years.

Daniel also said he thinks student affairs is through with “fundamental people changes.” He added that one or two more would occur this year, but that 90 or 95 percent of the changes in major personnel were complete.