UWRF welcomes new Dean of Students
September 21, 2022
This past summer, UW-River Falls welcomed Dr. Katie Jackson as the new Dean of Students.
As the current Dean of Students at UWRF, Dr. Jackson is the primary advocate for Student Success. She also oversees students outside the classroom in areas such as housing, dining, the University Center staff, Title IX, Student Conduct, Violence Prevention, and the collaborations between these areas.
For the past six years, Dr. Jackson has worked at UM-Duluth as the Director of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution. She worked every day with the Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students, responding to crisis situations and student concerns. There she “got a good look at what it meant to be a dean.” She describes coming to UWRF as “the next natural step.”
Dr. Katie Jackson started her journey towards the Dean of Students position as an undergraduate psychology and religion double major at Concordia College. She first started working with college students during her three years as a Resident Assistant. She described it as her “favorite thing about college.” Dr. Jackson was also a hall director in southern Mississippi, while she worked towards her master’s degree before going on to earn a doctorate degree from the University of Missouri in education leadership.
Dr. Jackson had an upbringing in a small farm community. When she first came to campus in June of 2022, she was surprised by the agricultural focus, passion, and hard work here at UWRF. She instantly felt at home.
When asked what occupation she would choose if she were not a Dean, Dr. Jackson responded, “I might have been a librarian. I really love books… [it] would have been a lot of fun.”
In addition to reading, Dr. Jackson enjoys running, hiking, camping, and being outdoors. Accordingly, her favorite travel destination is a hiking trail in Norway.
Her advice for UWRF students is, “Real life starts now. People sometimes think that college is a time that might not really matter, and that real life is something off in their future, but the things you are doing as a student today- working together, doing research, doing projects-I think your life and career will look pretty similar once you get out into the working world, so think of this as the real deal.”