Georgia State’s new Dean of Students Michael Sanseviro arrived to his new job on Dec. 1. As a graduate student from Georgia State in the 1990s, Sansevirohas spent the past 16 years working at Kennesaw State, serving as their Dean of Students.
“The opportunity to return to my alma mater at this unique point in history when [Georgia State] and [Georgia Perimeter College] have come together to create the largest university in Georgia is truly invigorating,” Sanseviro said.
In his time at Kennesaw State, Sanseviro created a university-wide unified Homecoming committee, which he said ensured all student groups’ needs and interests were represented and appropriately considered.
In terms of the merging of Georgia Perimeter College and Georgia State, he gained experience in a similar situation when he served on the consolidation team that united Kennesaw State with the former Southern Polytechnic State University into one new comprehensive multi-campus university.
“I look forward to collaborating with amazing colleagues across all campuses to determine how best to create a strong university-wide culture that equally respects the unique qualities and histories of individual campus cultures,” Sanseviro said.
When it comes to what the student body can expect from their new dean of students, Sanseviro said he is most excited to learn how best he can apply his experiences to enhance the ways Georgia State engages students to embrace their place within the community.
Before Sanseviro arrived at Georgia State, he said his first goal would be to learn everything he can as quickly as possible so that he can understand and evaluate Georgia State’s current needs and then move to addressing them.
Georgia State has changed a bit since his time here, but Sanseviro enjoyed many of the same things in his time at Georgia State that students enjoy today.
“[Georgia State] has expanded in size, scope and stature, becoming a nationally recognized leader in student success,” he said. “[It] advanced its commitment to urban transformation and new student housing in downtown, which has been an amazing change since my time in [Georgia State] Housing in the 1990s.”
During his time at Georgia State, Sanseviro worked full-time while earning his degree, but also enjoyed performances at the Rialto Center, a few sporting events and movies at Cinefest.
Sanseviro said that as a doctoral student, he saw the faculty was very dedicated, a view he hopes current Georgia State students have as well.
“I pride myself on being accessible and engaged with the student bodies I’ve served throughout my career and look forward to continuing that proud tradition at [Georgia State],” Sanseviro said. “I look forward to doing whatever I can to support the needs of all students across all [Georgia State] campuses.”
The Dean of Students office serves to encourage students to be active members of the Georgia State community. This includes addressing and resolving student concerns, acting in emergency situations and directing students to on campus resources. They also provide support for faculty.
Sanseviro will serve as the head of the Dean of Students office with the above objectives being his top priority.
According to Georgia State’s human resources department, he will be paid $160,000 per year to carry out his duties.
