Dr. Alton Standifer Gets Promotion

Alton Standifer has been named deputy chief of staff to University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead effective January 1.

Dr. Standifer, who has been with the President’s Office since July 2019, has assumed a steadily increasing portfolio that focuses primarily on student affairs, University Council, Staff Council, diversity relations and community engagement, according to an announcement from UGA.

Dr. Standifer joined UGA in 2014 and went on to serve as orientation director and associate director of undergraduate admissions before joining the Office of the President in 2019.

In his expanded role as Deputy Chief of Staff, Dr. Standifer will be responsible for day-to-day operations in the President’s Office and provide support in the absence of the Chief of Staff. In addition, he will become the primary liaison with the university’s development team and will work with the Alumni Association on various special events. Dr. Standifer will continue to report directly to Kathy Pharr, chief of staff and vice president for marketing and communication.

The position is a new one and creates a day-to-day contact for the Office of the President, said Dr. Standifer. He said he still handles many of the responsibilities that he did in his previous role. When asked how much contact he has now with the UGA president, he said they are in daily communication. He said one of his roles is to respond to inquiries and issues that involve the President, including fielding calls from disgruntled students, parents, and staff at times.

He talked of closing buildings on Sunday, ahead of the bad weather, and other roles that require more than the standard 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, sometimes those extra hours include amazing experiences such as attending the national championship game in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Standifer and his wife Brittany joined state officials, UGA supporters, and university administrators at the big game where the Dawgs conquered Alabama to win their first national championship in 41 years. He said during the game he decided to take some video and was filming on his phone the “pick six” play.

But he got so excited, he said, that he dropped his phone, ending the recording, and started jumping up and down and screaming.

He also said while he was there he ran into some old Monticello contacts such as Walker Jordan, Bruce Kelly, and Sam Holmes. Mr. Kelly and his high-school aged son said they attended every UGA ball game last year, climaxing with the national championship game.

“I loved seeing people I knew from Monticello in Indianapolis and around Athens as well. It had to be an amazing year for Bruce and his son,” Dr. Standifer said. Several members of the Jasper County community traveled to Athens on Saturday to participate in the championship celebration and to attend the UGA basketball game where Monticello native Tyrin Lawrence and the Vanderbilt Commodores defeated the Dawgs 73-66.

“Knowing Mr. Lawrence since my time as a teacher, it was great to see him in action on the court and so many people from home there to support him.”

I asked him about how Covid-19 had affected his position, and he spoke to the challenges of how to lead an education institution in a global pandemic. He said the pandemic made him think about a lot of higher education opportunities differently. He said that teaching generally centers around what has been proven and teaching it to others. Now, they are having to figure out how to proceed.

No experts have all the answers for how to manage during a global pandemic, he said, though many people have lots of ideas about what will work and won’t work. He said it is challenging to fulfill the mission and serve the students and the state given the challenges that COVID has presented.

He also referred to services the university offers, and how those challenges rose, such as assisting small businesses who are also struggling during the pandemic. He said the pandemic makes being a leader of a global university somewhat troublesome, but he has been able to observe President Morehead do so while keeping the students of UGA the top priority.

He said one highlight of the position is the community outreach, “So many people think of UGA as just a place where students go to earn a degree, however there are a number of things that UGA does to support the entire state. There is a UGA employee in nearly all 159 counties in Georgia.” One example that he talked about was how staff travel across the state encouraging high school students to consider college when they graduate.

Not all of them have to go to UGA, he said, they just want to plant the seed that college is attainable and encourage the young people to consider that option.

Dr. Standifer is a 2007 graduate of Jasper County High School, and a 2012 graduate of Georgia Southern University where he earned a degree in middle grades education. After teaching eighth grade math for a year at Jasper County Middle School, he returned to Georgia Southern where he earned his master’s degree in higher education administration in 2014.

Dr. Standifer currently serves as president of the Georgia Southern University Alumni Association and talked about how rewarding it was to see one of those eighth graders he taught from Jasper County High School graduate from Ga. Southern. He is currently participating in Leadership Georgia and was a member of LEAD Athens in 2020. Dr. Standifer earned his Ph.D. from UGA’s School of Public and International Affairs’ public administration and policy department in December 2021.

But, for his job at UGA, it is clear he serves in an expanded role as the liaison between the president’s office and many components of the university including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members.

When asked about his future goals, he said he wants to be a senior leader in higher education, perhaps a president, vice-president, or chancellor. He sees himself leading a higher education institution someday.

He expressed his gratitude for his family and is very thankful to many in this community for his small-town upbringing, and those who helped get him started on this successful path. He said the humility he learned, along with the kindness and the love for your neighbor that he received started him on this path. He particularly mentioned prayer breakfast at the Tillman House Restaurant which was a staple in his high school years. (At least some youth still meet on Fridays, but now it’s at Dairy Queen.)

“I am extremely proud of the lessons I learned growing up here, Dr. Standifer said, From Prayer Breakfast at the Tillman House, to talks with Paul and Susan Holmes in the grocery line at Ingles, and of course all the time my grandmother made me spend in churches across the county, including our home church of St. James AME, have played a significant role in who I have and will become. Wherever I go and whatever the future holds, my story will always include my love for Monticello, Georgia.”