Landphair enters newly established position

by AYIANA ALLEN

Staff Writer

After a decade of leadership as Vice President for Student Affairs, Juliette Landphair is transitioning into a new role at UMW: Associate Vice President for Health and Well-Being. This newly established position aims to strengthen the university’s efforts in promoting physical and mental health across campus. Landphair will oversee the Talley Center for Counseling Services, the Student Health Center, the Center for Prevention and Education and Campus Recreation.

“For ten years, I have been in the role of UMW’s Vice President for Student Affairs and have loved it,” Landphair said. “With this new role, I will be transitioning into an area of higher education—health and well-being—that requires both systemic and strategic oversight, and that is very exciting for me.” 

Now, as she steps into a new role, Landphair is eager to take on fresh challenges.

“This position will oversee several critical health and well-being functions at UMW,” she said. “As Associate Vice President, I will work with students and with colleagues to develop a strategic and systemic approach to health and well-being in recognition that these aspects of our lives are critical to success—in class, at work and in our social lives.”

Landphair emphasized that data will inform this approach. 

“Our approach will involve communicating across all institutional consistencies about strategies for better health and well-being and about how to support ourselves and our friends and colleagues,” she said.

The new role is not only a fresh opportunity for Landphair but also a well-considered move for UMW. 

“Ideally this work will strengthen our community in several ways: students who thrive mentally and physically have higher graduation rates; all community members will have a better understanding of how to access resources at UMW and in the Fredericksburg community; and all community members will incorporate positive health and well-being into their personal and professional lives, now and into the future,” Landphair said.

Landphair hopes to make well-being a central value of the university. 

“My ultimate goal is for health and well-being to join ASPIRE as a central value for UMW,” she said.

As the university prepares to welcome a new Vice President for Student Affairs, Landphair’s new role supports UMW’s commitment to prioritizing student needs with a stronger focus on health and wellness for long-term success.

Candidates that were interviewed over the past two weeks include Michael Walsh, Mel Johnson-Norwood, Frank Ross and Marty Wygmans. Interviews were public and each candidate gave a presentation of their accomplishments and the values they would bring to the university, followed by a Q&A for students and staff. 

Ally Fletcher, a senior biomedical sciences major, shared her thoughts on the importance of engagement. 

“I think that student engagement is very important. It allows students to be involved in their academic community in multiple ways other than solely just school,” she said. “This will allow students to become more well-rounded throughout their college experience.”

Fletcher also spoke on how engagement impacts student well-being.

“Being active in your community allows you to form connections in ways that you never would have if you hadn’t been engaged. There are so many ways to engage with a community, including clubs, service, athletics and leadership. All of these allow someone to not only form new connections, but feel like they belong in their community, thereby increasing their wellbeing,” she said.

Fletcher emphasized the importance of passion for the university in the new vice president.

“The qualities I am looking for in a new VP of student affairs is primarily for them to be passionate about the wellbeing of their students,” she said. “This can be achieved through their efforts of promoting mental health, school spirit and students forming connections with each other.”

Sophomore psychology major Frankie Wulf added that the candidate’s ability to foster community is vital. 

“I’d be looking for a number of qualities in a new VP of student affairs,” Wulf said. “Most of all, I’m looking for someone who will support existing campus events that unite UMW students. I am hoping the next VP is able to encourage the creation of new campus-wise events as well.”

 He also went on to say why this position for the VP was so important for students at UMW. 

“Student engagement is important to me because, without it, UMW could not have as much of a tight-knit community as it does,” said Wulf.