University spokesman Jason Cody said Denise Maybank, senior vice president for Student Affairs and Services, is set to have three new assistant vice presidents potentially by the end of next spring semester. All three would report directly to Maybank.

Maybank said in an email “the functional alignment” of the new positions falls in line with strategies that will allow the office to adjust to student demands.

The three new positions include an Assistant Vice President of Health, Wellness and Safety, Assistant Vice President for Transitions, Leadership and Experiential Learning and Assistant Vice President for Identity/Affinity.

The Assistant Vice President for Transitions, Leadership and Experiential Learning would focus on outreach and engagement to incoming students and their parents, for example. The assistant vice president for identity/affinity mainly would deal with issues of student ethnicity and race on campus.

One of the positions already has been filled by Allyn Shaw, former director with the MSU Office of Faculty and Organizational Development, a position that reported to the provost. Maybank said she hopes the two remaining positions will be filled during the spring semester, adding that the university will be conducting a nationwide search.

“This is an approach designed to maintain a dynamic and flexible process that will allow student affairs to remain relevant and responsive to the total MSU student population as we align our functions with those of the rest of the university,” Maybank said in the email.

Maybank gave a presentation during the Council of Graduate Students, or COGS, meeting on Oct. 9 explaining the new structure. The Office of Student Affairs and Services also will host an on-campus town hall meeting within the coming weeks for students to learn more about the new positions.

“It’s a good start … and it will be very beneficial for graduate students,” COGS President Stefan Fletcher said, explaining that the new vice president structure would make it easier for the Office of Student Affairs and Services to focus more on graduate life and wellness on campus.

Fletcher said COGS pushed for the new vision of the office, especially after Maybank was permanently appointed as vice president for student affairs and services.

“The collaborative alignment of the student affairs functions will allow for optimal student engagement at the graduate and undergraduate levels and responsiveness to students from all perspectives,” Maybank said. “The assistant vice presidents will identify the faculty units and programs across campus with which student affairs will need to work in the interest of student success and engagement.”