EUGENE, Ore. -- (Feb. 20, 2013) -- Rian Satterwhite has been hired as the new director of the Holden Center for Leadership and Community Engagement (The Holden Center) at the University of Oregon and will begin work at the university this week.

Satterwhite, who has served for the past five years as assistant director of the Center for Student Leadership at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, was hired for the UO position following a nationwide search.

“Rian’s experience and philosophy of student leadership training and engagement are a great match for the Holden Center,” said Robin Holmes, the UO's vice president for student affairs. “All of us in Student Affairs are looking forward to welcoming Rian and his family to the University of Oregon."

Satterwhite said he is also excited about the possibilities in his new position leading the Holden Center.

“The second I set foot on campus for the interview process, I knew that I had come home," he said. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work at such a remarkable institution, with warm, welcoming colleagues in a state that I love

“I believe that leadership development is the responsibility of the entire university community, but having a center such as this one creates a pocket of expertise and opens up opportunities for collaboration across campus to more effectively facilitate the growth that we want to see in our students,” Satterwhite said.

He received his bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Arizona and a master's degree in educational leadership from the University of Wollongong in Wollongong, Australia.

Prior to his time at Kennesaw State, Satterwhite worked at the University of Wollongong as program director in the Center for Student Development. He received the Ray of Light Award from CampusLabs in 2012 and a Distinguished Leadership Award from the University of Arizona.

About the University of Oregon

The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.

MEDIA CONTACT: Rita Radostitz, UO student affairs, 541-346-8540, rjr@uoregon.edu

Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with satellite uplink capacity, and a radio studio with an ISDN phone line for broadcast-quality radio interviews.