Staging - Dean of Students

A Message from the Dean

Dear SRU Students,

Karla Fonner I want you to know, the ability for me to serve as the Dean of Students at SRU is a true privilege. As a two-time Rock alum, with 22 years of experience in higher education, public health, mental health response and interpersonal violence, I’m proud to be part of the Division of Student Affairs here at SRU. My role is to oversee the most important and critical areas of student life here at the Rock including student support, disability services, student basic needs, personal integrity, health education and student conduct. I also serve as the university’s Title IX Coordinator. I am here to listen, offer advice on how to handle complex situations and connect you to the right resources for your needs. We have been successfully helping students on our campus for several years, yet, we are always striving to do better and change with our students needs to best serve the SRU community, if you have ideas or feedback on how we can better support our students or if my team or I can help you at any time during your years here, please reach out to me at karla.fonner@sru.edu or 724.738.2121.

Go Rock!
Karla M. Fonner

Vision

Under the direction of the Dean of Students our offices will deliver exceptional service to students by co-constructing plans to encourage positive behavioral change and help them learn to navigate complex situations.

Mission

Housed within the Division of Student Affairs, the Office of the Dean of Students strives to engage students in intentionally designed efforts aimed at strengthening their supportive circles allowing them to thrive during their time at the university. Our team operates on an empowerment model centered on human growth and development where students can explore well-being, positive community behavior, self-advocacy and responsible decision-making to increase success inside and outside of the classroom. A cross-trained staff provides two distinct areas of service: Access (Disability Services) & Care (Student Support) Case Management and Personal (Health Promotion), Social (Communication and Conflict Management) and Behavioral (Student Conduct) Accountability.