“Take care of yourself; take care of each other; take care of this place” is a mantra for the Detroit native, who will bring two decades of higher-ed leadership experience to Albion.

With nearly 20 years of experience working with students in a higher education setting, Detroit native Leroy Wright has been named Albion College’s new vice president for student development and dean of students.

Wright, who has been associate vice chancellor for student affairs at Appalachian State University in North Carolina since 2016, will begin his duties at Albion on July 1.

“We are very excited to welcome Leroy Wright to the Albion College family,” President Mauri Ditzler said. “This has been a long and thorough search and we believe we’ve found the right person to fill this unique role. He has a wonderful rapport with students and a dedication to their well-being that will help ensure them the college experience they expect and deserve.”

Wright was born and raised in Detroit and still has family in Belleville, Roseville and Detroit. He earned his undergraduate degree in human resource management from Ferris State University in 1996 and his master’s of education in counseling and human relations from Northern Arizona University in 2001.

In 2002 he returned to Ferris State, where he spent 10 years as dean of student life and four years in university housing. His three years at Appalachian State, which enrolls more than 19,000 students, has included a period as interim vice chancellor for the 2016-17 academic year.

As associate vice chancellor for student affairs, he has been involved with numerous student organizations spanning multicultural student development, student engagement and leadership, and career development.

“My goal is always to develop happy, healthy and strong leaders who want to contribute to something bigger than themselves,” Wright said. “Our focus should be on student development and collaborative relationships. We also have a responsibility to support a high level of student development. I tell students three things: take care of yourself; take care of each other; and take care of this place.”

Wright, who admitted he wasn’t in job-searching mode until a colleague suggested he apply for the Albion position, has long known of the quality of an Albion education.

“I’ve always known Albion to be a strong liberal arts college with an emphasis on developing strong leaders,” he said. “That’s one of the components of why I decided this would be a great opportunity. I’m a very engaged student development professional and I want to continue that level of advocacy. I care about students and Albion obviously cares about students, and this is a great opportunity to continue that.”

Wright plans to live in Albion and take advantage of the small-community feeling that he believes is so vital in the residential liberal arts college experience—for staff and faculty as well as students.

“I want to find a place I can call home and which will allow me to walk to work and be actively engaged in the community.” he said.