The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley has named Rebecca K. Gadson as its new dean of students and associate vice president for student life.
Gadson has been serving as interim dean of students at UTRGV since August 2015, and was the senior associate dean of students for Student Involvement.
“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to continue serving our students and working in partnership and cooperation across the university to do what we can to maximize student success,” she said.
Gadson said she and her team will continue to look at ways to enhance students’ learning experiences and increase their knowledge of the services and support available to them.
Dr. Kristin Croyle, vice president for Student Success, said Gadson has excellent leadership skills, evidenced by how successfully she brought together the student life offices of UTRGV’s legacy institutions, The University of Texas-Pan American and The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, and created a new approach to help students.
“She did such a fantastic job,” Croyle said. “We’re lucky to have her as our permanent dean. She puts students first, and is very knowledgeable.”
Gadson has 18 years of experience in higher education, including more than 13 years in leadership positions at UTRGV and legacy institution UTPA. She also has served in student affairs positions at Northern Michigan University and Western Michigan University.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in psychology and liberal arts for human services from the University of Minnesota-Morris, and a Master of Arts in counseling in higher education from Western Michigan University.
