NEWS RELEASE

7/2/02

Barbara Palmer, News Service (650) 724-6184; e-mail: barbara.palmer@stanford.edu

Lythcott-Haims named dean of freshmen

Julie Lythcott-Haims, who has served as assistant to President John Hennessy since October 2000, has been named assistant vice provost and dean of freshmen and transfer students, a newly created position. She will assume the post Aug. 1.

Lythcott-Haims, 34, will be the primary resource in helping new undergraduate students make the transition to Stanford's academic and social environment. Reporting to Gene Awakuni, vice provost of student affairs, she also will oversee the Haas Center for Public Service, the Career Development Center and the office of New Student Orientation.

"Julie has been a terrific addition to my staff and it has been a pleasure to work with her for the last two years," Hennessy said. "Although I am sad to see her leave our office, I am delighted that she will still be at Stanford in this important new position."

A senior class president in 1989, Lythcott-Haims earned a bachelor's degree in American studies from Stanford and a law degree from Harvard in 1994. After practicing law in the Bay Area, Lythcott-Haims became associate dean for student affairs in the Law School in 1998.

"Julie's work in student affairs at the law school and experience as a lawyer in private practice, coupled with a love for Stanford that dates back to her time as a resident assistant at Branner and senior class president, make her a perfect fit for the job," Awakuni said. "I feel both pleased and fortunate that she will be joining my senior staff."

Lythcott-Haims said her new position is her dream job. "In my current position, I have learned a tremendous amount about how a university functions, how decisions get made and how resources are allocated. But it has always been the interactions with students that have been among my most rewarding experiences," she said.

"Since the day I entered Stanford in the fall of 1985 and was greeted by effervescent orientation volunteers and knowledgeable resident assistants who knew my name and where I was from, I have wanted to be a part of delivering the essence of Stanford to the next generation of Stanford students."

Her first priorities will be to let students and their parents know her office exists as a resource for them and to make sure services are delivered to new students in as logical a way as possible. "Toward that end, I envision introducing students to my office during Admit Weekend and via the summer mailings," she said. Doing so, she said, will help ensure a smooth transition when she and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education John Bravman receive the handoff of the new class from Dean of Admission Robin Mamlet at Freshman Convocation.

Ultimately, Lythcott-Haims said her goal is to help develop "enduring relationships between my office and the students, between the students themselves and between the students and the university."

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