Temple appoints new vice president for student affairs

Temple has appointed Jodi Bailey as its new vice president for student affairs, upon final approval from the Board of Trustees, wrote Provost Gregory Mandel in a message to the Temple community on Thursday.

Temple has been searching for a candidate to fill the role permanently since the passing of former Vice President of Student Affairs Theresa Powell in January. 

Bailey, who will begin her new role on March 1, 2024, currently serves as New Jersey City University’s vice president of student development and community engagement. She oversees all comprehensive, non-academic student services and works to improve student accomplishment, retention and persistence through new approaches, Mandel wrote.

At Temple, Bailey will report to the provost and develop a vision for the future of the university’s student affairs. She will engage campus leaders to create a student-centered approach to addressing students’ needs, improve communication to extend the division’s work, develop and inspire the student affairs team and enhance education and community partnerships, according to the position’s search advisory committee’s requirements. 

“She is a thoughtful and open-minded leader who has demonstrated genuine care for the student populations she has served over the course of her career,” Mandel wrote.

Bailey also served as vice president for enrollment management and student affairs and as chief enrollment officer at NJCU from 2022-23. She began her career at NJCU as the executive director of housing and residence life in 2016 and was promoted to associate vice president for student affairs in 2018. 

Prior to her positions at NJCU, Bailey worked at New York University from 2005-16 and served as director of student affairs at the Tisch School of the Arts from 2011 to 2016.

NJCU implemented a food pantry, an emergency fund for students in need and community-based counseling during Bailey’s tenure. While at NYU, Bailey provided counseling to students surrounding health, mental wellness, legal matters, housing and residential life. 

Bailey also managed the execution of all significant school-wide events, including new student orientation, parents’ day, graduation and all admissions special events.

Bailey holds a Ph.D. in education research, assessment and program evaluation from Seton Hall University, with her dissertation in Grit as a Predictor of Retention for First-Year Latino Students at an HSI. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in English and communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a master’s degree in higher education.

Bailey received the Women’s Empowerment “You Make a Difference” Award from NJCU in 2023 and the Enterprising Women in Commerce 2022 Award from the Higher Education, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey in August 2022. She became the inaugural recipient of NJCU’s Bob Delaney Service Before Self Award in 2021.

“Given Jodi’s vision and experience, I am certain she will have a strong positive impact in the Division of Student Affairs and our larger university community,” Mandel wrote.