When Dawn Watkins sits on her front porch this fall, she will be watching the leaves change along the Blue Ridge Parkway. “It’s absolutely gorgeous,” said Watkins, the former Associate Dean of Student Life for Community Activities. Watkins and her family recently moved into their new home on the campus of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia.

Watkins began her new position as Dean of Freshmen at the University this August.

Watkins cited several reasons for the move. Both she and her husband, who will be working as a technology integration specialist, are from the area. “That was probably the biggest attraction,” she said.

In addition, her new position is “a step up,” Watkins said. “I’ll be the number two student life person [at the University].”

The University has also provided Watkins with on-campus housing, which will allow her to spend the maximum amount of time with her daughter Jill. “It’s ideal for having a really young child,” she said.

Watkins has been at Guilford since 1996, during which time she has completed a doctoral dissertation entitled “The Effects of Strategic Planning on Student Recruitment and Retention at Tuition-dependent Independent Colleges.”

And, while she is excited to be moving on to new adventures, Watkins is grateful for the time she has spent here. “It’s not, by any stretch, that I’m rushing out of Guilford,” she stressed. “It was just the right thing at the right time.”