Clifford named assistant vice president, dean

Matthew Clifford

This is a guest post from the Division of Campus Life:

Matthew Clifford has been named assistant vice president for campus life and dean of residence life and housing following a national search. Clifford previously served as associate dean of students for student conduct before an appointment to interim dean of of residence life and housing in March. The appointment is a homecoming for Clifford, who previously served as director of residence life.

“The search for our assistant vice president brought strong candidates with national leadership roles from other peer universities.  During that very competitive process, we realized we had a national leader right here at home, one who was eager to bring his experience and knowledge to this critical role. We are thrilled to welcome Matt to this campus leadership position,” stated Vice President for Campus Life Penny Rue.

As assistant vice president and dean, Clifford will oversee the programs and operations of the following departmental units: residence life, housing and operations, and physical security technology and Deacon OneCard. In this role, Clifford will  provide direction to 30 full-time professional staff and more than 130 paraprofessional student staff. As a member of the vice president for campus life’s executive leadership team, he will assist in the evaluation and planning for division and University-wide facilities.

“I am happy to welcome Matt back to the team,” said Frank Shelton, director of housing. “His leadership will be integral as we continue to work towards the goal of building a better residential program.”

“I have had the great privilege of working with Wake Forest faculty, staff, and students to develop and shape community since I started here in 2010. In my experience, contributing to initiatives like the Faculty House Calls and Faculty Fellows programs, I have found partners eager to collaborate in efforts to enhance the residential experience. In this role, I envision deepening and broadening those partnerships to create robust residential learning communities that complement Wake Forest’s strong commitment to the engaged liberal arts,” Clifford said.

Outside of his roles at Wake Forest, Clifford serves as the national president and foundation trustee of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national leadership honor society. Within the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA), he is currently serving as the knowledge communities director and has previously served as co-chair of the student leadership programs knowledge community. Additionally, Clifford has served as the vice president for marketing and communication for the Southern Association of College Student Affairs (SACSA). Having presented at numerous national and regional conferences, Clifford has also served on the editorial boards of the Journal of College and University Student Housing and the College Student Affairs Journal. Clifford is also very involved in the Winston-Salem community, having been selected to receive a Winston<40 Leadership Award, recognizing 20 leaders under 40 years old in the Winston-Salem community.

Clifford received a doctorate in education from the University of North Florida, a master of education degree from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor of arts degree at Davidson College. He and his wife, Joanne, have four children – Peyton, Sam, Adah, and Luke.