UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Danny Shaha has been named assistant vice president for student rights and responsibilities in Penn State Student Affairs, effective Nov. 12. Shaha has served in this role as the interim assistant vice president since July 2017.
Danny Shaha has been named assistant vice president for student rights and responsibilities in Penn State Student Affairs. Credit: Penn State. Creative Commons
“I am honored to be asked to serve in this capacity,” said Shaha, “and I appreciate the opportunity to continue working with a terrific team to add value to the student experience at Penn State.”
The assistant vice president for student rights and responsibilities oversees six Student Affairs units, including the Office of Student Conduct, Student Care and Advocacy, Student Legal Services, Off-Campus Student Support, the Office of Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response, and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Compliance.
In his role, Shaha also co-chairs Penn State’s Behavior Threat Management Team, which works to mitigate behavioral threats through education, communication, planning, assessment and management. In addition, Shaha has responsibility for overseeing Student Affairs’ response to critical incidents that impact students.
“Danny’s experience, insight and leadership are just right for this important Student Affairs role at Penn State,” said Damon Sims, vice president for Student Affairs. “I’m confident he will continue to serve the University and its students with compassion and sincere commitment.”
Prior to this appointment, Shaha served as the senior director of the Office of Student Conduct at Penn State for seven years. In this role, he oversaw the administration of the University’s conduct process at University Park as well as at the Commonwealth Campuses and online, in addition to the Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Law.
During his time as senior director, Shaha also served as deputy Title IX coordinator from January 2012 to July 2017 and Title IX coordinator from July 2017 to July 2018. He helped to institute and formalize a comprehensive education, response and prevention program.
From November 2015 to July 2017, Shaha also served as the interim director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, working with staff to advise four councils that governed more than 80 chapters with a membership of approximately 7,500 students. He helped to lead the implementation of a set of comprehensive new measures aimed at curbing the misuse of alcohol, hazing and sexual assault and designed to enhance safety in the fraternity and sorority community. This included the creation of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Compliance.
Prior to joining Penn State, Shaha worked in various capacities at Ohio State University, Texas A&M University, and the College of William and Mary. He also served as a special agent in the FBI from 2001 to 2004, specializing in counterterrorism and counterintelligence. Shaha holds a master’s degree in college student personnel from Bowling Green State University and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Texas A&M University.