{"430511":{"#nid":"430511","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Stein Dedicates Career to Education","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EJohn Stein, who has worked at Tech since 2002 and been dean of students since 2006, spends a lot of time on campus.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn addition to a regular (or not so regular) work week, he attends weekly evening meetings of the Student Government Association as the group\u2019s advisor \u2014 meetings that can sometimes run into the wee hours of the morning \u2014 and many weekend activities that occur during the academic year. He is on call 24\/7 when students are in trouble or during an emergency situation, and meets with around 100 students per semester for various reasons. He even voluntarily teaches GT 1000, the first-year seminar course, and will teach it for the 14th time this fall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAfter nine years on the job, though, he still feels blessed by his work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cI\u2019ve never questioned or regretted what I\u2019m doing,\u201d he said. \u201cAs much as you give, you get that much back.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAs of August 1, Stein is now also vice president of the newly named Division of Student Life. While some would balk at the added responsibility, Stein feels privileged to be the one representing students at this level of the administration.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStein got his start in the student affairs world working in campus housing, eventually transitioning into a role at Skidmore College that combined residency with clinical care and mental health issues.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIt was the perfect training ground for being a dean,\u201d he said. \u201cI learned to sit with things in a reasonable and comfortable way.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAfter being dean of students at two small private colleges, Manhattanville College and Sarah Lawrence College, Stein stepped down to find a position that was more suitable for his stage of life \u2014 at the time, he had two young children, but was seeing more of everyone else\u2019s kids than his own. The experience led to a life lesson that, no matter the opinions of others, you have to make your own decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cEveryone told me not to step down,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were people I trusted who gave good advice. I knew what I had to do, though. No one understands your circumstances better than you do.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EWhen he found the position at Georgia Tech to be director of Success Programs, it was \u201ca dream job.\u201d He, his wife, and two children (now both in their 20s) moved to Atlanta without ever having visited.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIt was all the things I had loved and been involved in when I was in college,\u201d he said. As an undergraduate psychology major at State University of New York at Oneonta, Stein had been heavily involved in many activities on campus, including as an orientation leader, admissions tour guide, and teaching assistant. He was considering graduate school in psychology when a conversation with the assistant vice president of student affairs proposed the idea of a career in higher education.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThat conversation planted the seed,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStaying Balanced\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOutside of his on-campus responsibilities, Stein has managed to find the time to run 11 half marathons and one full marathon since taking up running at age 50. He started out training for a half marathon. His wife told him he was crazy. His son once came looking for him when he had been out running too long (to Stein\u2019s credit, he was fine \u2014 it was just a long run). Even when he\u2019s not training for a race, he participates in a weekly running group on Saturday mornings.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cRunning keeps me balanced,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I can do it, anyone can do it.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOnce a year he uses running to fundraise for cystic fibrosis, to which he has a family connection, and has personally raised more than $30,000 through his efforts (much of which he credits to generous Georgia Tech colleagues).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThanks to a move to a new house two years ago that backs up to a lake, Stein can now practice two of his other favorite hobbies, kayaking and fishing, right in his own back yard.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EHe also loves movies and books, particularly memoirs of lesser-known individuals. His favorite book, though, is \u003Cem\u003ETo Kill A Mockingbird\u003C\/em\u003E \u2014 and not just because of Harper Lee\u2019s new release (which he has, but has not yet read.)\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStaying Inspired\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EStein\u2019s wife, Sue, jokes that he never really left college. He has dedicated his career to education in hopes that it can do for others what it has done for him \u2014 and because he loves to keep learning. As a first-generation college student, coming from a single-parent family of four, Stein places a high value on the transformational role of education. He credits it, plus mentors and hard work, for getting him to this point.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EThough his job revolves around serving students, the larger Tech community also keeps Stein going. He gives other Tech employees the same advice he gives his GT 1000 students: explore all that Tech has to offer.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cGo do something you don\u2019t even think you\u2019re interested in. Go to a sporting event or a poetry reading,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a place that\u2019s on the rise. To be involved in a place on that trajectory is a privilege.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn a field where he\u2019s always on call and often dealing with other people\u2019s problems, he avoids burnout by drawing inspiration from the students he serves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cI get to know so many students\u2019 stories,\u201d he said. \u201cSeeing those students walk across the stage at Commencement and knowing the stamina and resiliency it takes to get to that point, it\u2019s inspiring.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Stein, Tech\u0027s vice president of Student Life, has spent his career hoping others find the same value in education that he did.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"John Stein, Tech\u0027s vice president of Student Life, has spent his career hoping others find the same value in education that he did."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2015-08-03 11:24:15","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:19:19","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-08-03T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-08-03T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"430521":{"id":"430521","type":"image","title":"John Stein at Memorial Day 10K","body":null,"created":"1449254381","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 18:39:41","changed":"1475895169","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:52:49"}},"media_ids":["430521"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/studentaffairs.gatech.edu\/","title":"Division of Student Affairs"},{"url":"http:\/\/deanofstudents.gatech.edu\/","title":"Dean of Students"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7027","name":"dean of students"},{"id":"8350","name":"employee"},{"id":"21921","name":"john stein"},{"id":"3918","name":"profile"},{"id":"167018","name":"staff"},{"id":"167069","name":"student affairs"},{"id":"167141","name":"Student Life"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:sara.warner@vpss.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESara Warner\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStudent Life\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}