Lucye Rafferty/The Hoya Todd Olson is interim no more.

Georgetown University officially named Todd Olson the vice president for student affairs and dean of students yesterday morning during a formal announcement ceremony in the Leavey Program Room.

Olson, who has served in an interim capacity since July 2003, succeeds Juan Gonzalez, who left Georgetown last summer to take a similar position at Arizona State University. Olson’s formal approval follows a period of turnover in the Office of Student Affairs.

“[Olson] has made a remarkable impact on the community,” Provost James J. O’Donnell said. “After an extensive level of consultation we have found a unanimous level of support.”

Gonzalez’s vacancy was filled without an executive search. Instead, O’Donnell and University President John J. DeGioia decided to give Olson a chance to settle into the role before deciding to order a search.

Olson’s first six months were so successful that Georgetown’s top headhunters decided against a search.

“Of course we expected him to succeed, but by December we were not sure that we could do any better in a search,” O’Donnell said. “We have a strong respect for the process, but we felt that a search would have been disruptive and counterproductive.”

Olson, who began at Georgetown in July 2002 as associate vice president for student affairs, expressed gratitude and enthusiasm as he offered remarks during the ceremony, recalling a Langston Hughes quote inscribed on a statue in Lawrence, Kan.

“`We have tomorrow right before us like a flame,'” he said. “So I’m excited about the brightness ahead of us. The traditions of the university and especially the Jesuit mission make this special like none before. This is a moment of tremendous opportunities.”

Olson said he will continue to focus on the different policy initiatives already in progress, including discussions about the sexual assault policy and the alcohol policy as well as student concerns about racial intolerance.

In his 18 months at Georgetown, Olson has played key roles in the revision of the “lockdown” policy, a revamped Homecoming weekend and the integration of the Southwest Quad into campus life. In February, he oversaw the opening of the temporary-use student center in the former New South Dining Hall. Olson has also helped coordinate student-led initiatives such as HoyaPalooza and a weekend GUTS bus pilot program.

Students and staff had only positive things to say about Olson.

“He welcomes different opinions, even those who feel like they haven’t been listened to in the past,” said Aleksandra Trpkovska (COL ’06), a member of the College Academic Council who sat on a Southwest Quad planning committee with Olson. “He’s right for the job.”

Jeanne Lord, who became the interim associate vice president for student affairs following Gonzalez’s departure and previously held a number of positions in the department, has worked closely with Olson in student affairs.

“Todd has impressed many of us. He has become interested about Georgetown – its traditions, its history, its mission – from his first day on campus,” she said. “This is a good day for Georgetown.”

Olson remains popular in a position that has often been forced to make difficult compromises with students. Students became frustrated with Gonzalez, for example, in 2001 during a campaign to bring an LGBTQ resource center to the university. Although a center was never created, a compromise between the students and Gonzalez resulted in the hiring of a part-time resource coordinator for LGBTQ issues.

But many say that Olson’s style suits the job well.

“Dr. Gonzalez is a better fit for a large state school like Arizona State where he can deal with larger policy issues for a huge student body,” said GUSA President Brian Morgenstern (COL ’05), who worked closely with both Gonzalez and Olson throughout his term. “Dr. Olson is a great fit for Georgetown because works well in a smaller, tighter-knit, more active community.”

DeGioia, himself a former dean of students, could not attend the ceremony but expressed his confidence in Olson in a university statement.

“Dr. Olson is one of the best student affairs professionals in higher education today,” he said. “His experience and personal commitment to the values and traditions of Georgetown make him an ideal person to hold this position permanently.”

As the senior student affairs officer, Olson’s job oversees a range of student programming and services that include the student health center and counseling departments, the career education center, off-campus housing, residence life, student conduct and the Center for Minority Educational Affairs.

A Minnesota native, Olson worked at the University of Denver for 16 years in a number of positions, including associate vice provost for campus life and director of residence life before coming to Georgetown.

“What excites me the most about Georgetown is the caliber of people I can work with – faculty, staff and students,” he said. “Today is really a dream come true, being at Georgetown. It’s wonderful to be a part of.”