Dr. Alton Standifer, vice provost for academic and community engagement and chief of staff to the provost at the University of Georgia, will be the 22nd speaker in the annual Class of 1953 Lectureship Series on Thursday, April 9, at 9:15 a.m. in Morris Chapel.
“This is a great opportunity for our Upper School students to connect with someone who has had an incredible career in higher education,” said Stephen Taylor ('02), director of alumni relations. “We appreciate Dr. Standifer for taking the time to share his insights with our young people here at Darlington and are grateful to the Class of 1953 for establishing this annual lectureship that has brought so many interesting people to our campus."
As vice provost for academic and community engagement, Standifer directs the University of Georgia’s Office of Academic and Community Engagement, leading a focused effort to develop and implement strategies and initiatives designed to create a welcoming environment for all faculty, staff, and students and to advance academic excellence goals. He supports UGA’s particular focus on rural, economically disadvantaged, first-generation, underserved, military and transfer students.
As chief of staff to the provost, Standifer leads strategic university initiatives, manages special projects, and provides oversight for operations and staff in the Office of the Provost. The Office of Accreditation and Institutional Effectiveness, which is responsible for matters related to the university’s institutional accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, reports directly to Standifer. Through this unit, he also works to ensure institutional effectiveness through strategic planning and the coordination of academic and support unit reviews.
Among other duties, Standifer considers academic honesty appeals and reviews appeals for scheduling of classrooms in collaboration with the vice president for student affairs and the vice president for instruction.
Standifer joined UGA in 2014 as assistant director of new student orientation, advancing to associate director of undergraduate admissions and director of new student orientation in 2015. He joined the staff of the Office of the President in 2019 as assistant to the president and was named deputy chief of staff to the President in 2022. In that role, he managed the day-to-day operations of the President’s Office and advised the president on matters involving community engagement; inclusive excellence; and faculty, staff and student affairs. He was the office’s primary liaison with the university’s development and alumni relations team, its student affairs division, and several advisory groups.
At the request of the University System of Georgia, Standifer served as interim chief of staff during a presidential transition at Savannah State University in the summer of 2023.
Prior to joining UGA, Standifer served in a variety of student-centered roles at Georgia Southern University. He also has taught middle school math and coached basketball in his hometown of Monticello, Ga.
Standifer earned his doctorate in public administration and policy from UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs, where he now serves as an adjunct faculty member. He received a bachelor’s degree in middle grades education and a master’s degree in higher education administration from Georgia Southern University.
Standifer was selected by the University System of Georgia to participate in its 2022-2023 Executive Leadership Institute. He was a member of the UGA Alumni Association’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2022 and the Georgia Southern University 40 Under 40 Class of 2023. He is a member of the 2022 class of Leadership Georgia and a 2020 graduate of LEAD Athens. Standifer served as the state coordinator of the Association for Orientation, Transition and Retention in Higher Education in 2017, and he was president of the Georgia Southern University Alumni Association from 2020 to 2022. Standifer and his wife, Brittany, live in Athens with their son, A.J.
The Class of 1953 Lectureship Series was established in 2003 to commemorate the class’s 50th reunion.
