As Vice President for Campus Life and Dean of Students at Arcadia, Donavan will oversee several crucial areas, including Student Affairs, Campus and Residence Life (including commuter programs, new student programs, campus recreation, student organizations, and student government), Counseling Services, Student Health Services, Public Safety, and sexual and gender-based violence prevention.

At Arcadia University, our mission lies in keeping students at the center of all we do. We sought a strategic and collaborative student affairs leader with a clear record of vision and action in promoting diversity and inclusion while supporting all students throughout their academic career. Donavan has excelled throughout his career in building productive relationships and partnerships across campus and within higher education, and has implemented and facilitated impactful, meaningful programs to increase student wellness and enhance the student experience. We look forward to him joining the Arcadia University community.

Donavan serves as interim vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Affairs at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where he has oversight of student affairs, enrollment management, residential life, the Community Outreach Center, student conduct, counseling and psychological services, admissions, financial aid, housing and dining, new student orientation, the Multicultural Center, international admissions and services, and more. He manages six direct reports and a multi-million dollar budget.

Prior to his current role, Donavan was the assistant vice president and dean of students at Kutztown, assisting in the development of a comprehensive strategic enrollment plan. There, he collaborated to increase retention by 4 percent in four years; chaired the university’s 32-member community response team; analyzed and revised student and university policies and procedures to ensure justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion principles are being applied; and led faculty, staff, and student representatives from each of Pennsylvania’s state-system universities in drafting key recommendations to address student mental health and wellness, among other successes.

In his nearly 20 years in higher education, Donavan has also served as dean of students at the Community College of Philadelphia; residence coordinator at the University of Miami; and in several roles at Rowan University, including director of student life, associate dean for student life, and director of the educational opportunity fund program. He serves on the faculty at DeSales University and Rowan University, and he has presented papers and led discussions at conferences on a variety of student-centric issues, including “Utilizing well-being initiatives for retention and recruitment,” “The impact of campus well-being: A surprise discovery,” and “Forming a bias response task force and bias response team on your campus.”

Donavan earned a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at Rowan University, a Master of Education in Higher Education at Iowa State University, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration: Marketing from Rowan University.