Student center gets new name, director

The campus center that oversees several co-curricular and student service units, as well as student clubs and organizations, has a new name and a new director.

The Center for Campus Life is now the Student Involvement and Leadership Center under the leadership of Rueben Perez, director and assistant dean of students. Perez formerly was coordinator for leadership programs in the center.

The center, on the fourth floor of the Kansas Union, is home to student governance and programming offices, the Emily Taylor Women’s Resource Center, the Men’s Outreach Program, Nontraditional Student Services, Lesbian/Bisexual/Gay/Transgender Services, Fraternity-Sorority Life and many clubs and organizations. The name change reflects the center’s focus on student development and leadership.

Perez succeeds Danny Kaiser, who has been appointed to a newly created post, assistant dean of students. Kaiser is responsible for the oversight of the university’s student judicial system and will be a member of the Student Success Emergency Response Team. He also will monitor local and national legislation as related to student life.

Perez is a Topeka native who received a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1985 and a master’s degree in counselor education with an emphasis on student personnel administration in 1989 from Emporia State University. He has been coordinator for KU Leadership Programs since 2000 and was named one of five 2001 Outstanding Educators by KU’s chapter of Mortar Board.

Kaiser, who has undergraduate and graduate degrees from Iowa State University, has been director of the former Center for Campus Life since 1997.

For many years, he was chair of the University Events Committee, which Perez now will chair.