John Dalton’s return to the Division of Student Affairs in June officially marked a homecoming, but he’ll tell you that in his heart, he never really left.
With a University of Texas at Austin career that began in the Office of the Dean of Students and includes academic and compliance leadership roles, Dalton brings a unique set of skills and talents to the Division. As vice president for student affairs, he leads a portfolio of eight departments that serves all Longhorns through student life programs, spaces and resources. Dalton oversees the Counseling and Mental Health Center, Disability and Access, Longhorn Wellness Center, Office of the Dean of Students, Recreational Sports, Texas Parents, University Health Services and University Unions.
For 14 years, he served as an assistant dean in the Graduate School, which provides a unique perspective when coupled with student affairs.
“All of the student experience is connected in some way. When you bring the classroom learning together with the out-of-classroom development, that’s when you get ‘a well-rounded student,’” Dalton said. “My job is to develop this holistic approach and help provide students with opportunities to experience the University in the best way that they possibly can.”
My job is to develop this holistic approach and help provide students with opportunities to experience the University in the best way that they possibly can.
Such an opportunity during college is what changed Dalton’s life. Growing up on a dairy farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, he was a first-generation student at Radford University studying rhetoric and speech. One day, he received a surprise call from the assistant dean of students inviting him to be an orientation advisor.
“You never know where a short-term opportunity is going to take you,” he said. “It may change your life.” Being an orientation advisor led to an unanticipated career in student affairs at Radford University, then the University of Florida.
The next life-changing opportunity came in 2000, when Dean of Students Sharon Justice hired Dalton as assistant dean of students, overseeing new student orientation and student conduct.
“After a full day of interviews, the feedback I received from staff and students was, ‘Hire him!’ It was unanimous. John was friendly, an excellent communicator, well prepared with questions, knowledgeable about student affairs, and he displayed his wonderful sense of humor,” said Justice, who was an associate vice president and dean of students from 1985 to 2001. “I always knew he would be the star that he is now, and I’m glad that he chose UT.”
The common thread throughout Dalton’s career is listening — to students, families, faculty and staff to understand their stories, needs and concerns. As assistant dean of students, he served all students through orientation and student conduct. As assistant dean in the Graduate School, he directly supported faculty members and graduate students. Most recently as an associate vice president in University Risk and Compliance Services, he worked tirelessly to advance a fair and just campus culture.
Much like his own path, Dalton knows students often do not know exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives when they begin their Longhorn journey. But with 1,100-plus student organizations, intramural teams, events and programs, UT offers many opportunities for every Longhorn to figure it out.
According to a recent study from the Bureau of Business Research at the IC2 Institute, 77% of students participate in a University student organization. The data also shows that 96% of those students say these experiences make a positive impact on their overall student experience; 93% of students say such participation helps prepare them for life after graduation.
“If you go to an interview after you graduate and they ask you about experiencing conflict — being a member of a student organization, playing on an intramural team, living in a residence hall with a roommate — those are the kinds of experiences they want to hear about,” Dalton added.
Manny Gonzalez is an example of this transformation. He served as Graduate Student Assembly president for two terms (2010-2011 and 2011-2012) and remembers Dalton as a great advisor, but also a friend. He says Dalton’s “visionary” leadership and mentorship propelled his own trajectory as a leader. Gonzalez is now vice chair of the Austin Community College Board of Trustees and director of state and government relations at Western Governors University. He fondly shared Dalton’s impact on his own life.
“John has a sincerity and genuineness about the well-being of every student that is unique. UT Austin’s size can feel overwhelming, but John’s warm energy and spirit make students feel like they belong and have an opportunity to be successful,” said Gonzalez, M.Ed. ’09 and Ph.D. ’14.
As a student conduct hearing officer, Dalton also encountered thousands of students learning valuable life skills through compromised situations. He recalls a student he suspended for fighting. A year later, the student returned to campus and visited Dalton’s office, thanking him for the year away where he faced some problems in his life. The two have stayed in touch, and Dalton even wrote the student a recommendation letter for a job.
Now that Dalton has assumed the role of vice president, students will continue to benefit from his influence on the Longhorn life. He looks forward to helping them discover there’s more than one way to be a Longhorn.
“I love this University and the students here,” said Dalton. “What a positive thing to get up every day, come to work and say, ‘You know what? I think I can help these students.’ I’m honored to be in this role.”
