L. David Rooney

Vice President of Student Affairs

L. David Rooney has served as Vice President of Student Affairs at the State University of New York at New Paltz since 2002. As Vice President of Student Affairs, Rooney oversees approximately 130 employees covering a comprehensive array of student services and programs including Intercollegiate Athletics, Educational Opportunity Program, Residence Life, Student Development, Career Resource Center, Judicial Affairs, Student Activities and Union Services, Student Health, Psychological Counseling Center and the Campus Media Center. He also serves in an advisory capacity to the Student Association.

Highlights during his tenure with Student Affairs include: opening of the 52,000-square-foot Athletic and Wellness Center, window replacement and interior finishes in campus residence halls and availability of online recruiting and placement capabilities in the Career Resource Center. Additionally, the Educational Opportunity Program has had the highest graduation rates of all SUNY EOPs, the Student Health Center has become a model for those restructuring across the SUNY system and the Psychological Counseling Center has been reaccredited.

Prior to joining SUNY New Paltz, Rooney was the vice president for Student Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, where he was responsible for the planning, problematic and budgetary aspects of the Division of Student Affairs. His responsibilities included overall personnel matters related to student affairs professional staff, full-time and part-time support staff and student staff. Rooney was also the chair of the campus Diversity Committee, Alcohol Advisory Board, Campus Emergency Procedures Committee, and had membership on the University Planning Committee, Budget Committee and Advisory Board.

Additionally, Rooney has held professional positions as the assistant vice president for Student Affairs at California State University in Sacramento and associate and assistant dean positions at Texas Tech University. He also spent a year in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs as a graduate associate at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.

Rooney received his Bachelor of General Studies in Psychology and Special Education and his Master of Arts in Counseling, both from the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio, and his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.

He represents New Paltz on the Ulster County Substance Abuse Prevention Committee.

Rooney resides in New Paltz, N.Y.