UW-Madison students and faculty were shocked this January when Dean of Students Alicia Chavez announced her resignation.

Although Chavez had been widely criticized for her method of dealing with students and the media, her decision to leave seemed abrupt to many.

However, Vice Chancellor Paul Barrows said Chavez came to the conclusion to leave after much deliberation.

“Alicia wasn’t sure if she was cut out to be an administrator,” Barrows told the Herald in January.

Barrows said the position was different than Chavez had expected.

“It’s been an ongoing issue from the beginning,” he said. “She wasn’t sure if this is what she wanted to do.”

Chavez echoed Barrows sentiments.

“I’ve been considering it all along,” she said. “I was willing to come and try [the position], but it didn’t work out.”

She said many of the problems stemmed from endless public scrutiny.

“Some people thrive on being public figures,” she said. “I don’t.”

Jessica Miller, Chair of the 2001-02 ASM, said Chavez misjudged the responsibilities of the dean position.

“Chavez came in with a different idea of what student life is like at UW,” Miller said. “Here, students have a lot of autonomy and she wasn’t used to that, which caused a lot of problems.”

However, Miller said Chavez is a “phenomenal asset to the school of education.”

Jennifer Epps, ASM Diversity Committee co-chair, said Chavez was an asset to the university.

“I was sorry to hear that Dean Chavez decided to resign,” Epps said. “I think she’s a great woman, and I have enjoyed working with her in the past.”

Chavez decided to become a full-time educational administration professor.

“It’s where her heart is, and that’s the bottom line,” Barrows said.

Chavez initially said she would continue in her position until a substitute was found, expecting to wait until the summer for a replacement. However, Chavez did not need to wait long. Former Associate Dean of Students Roger Howard stepped in to replace Chavez for the semester. Howard first came to UW-Madison in 1968 and had worked as associate dean for 28 years.

Chavez described Howard as her mentor and said he is more suitable for the job.

“He’s pretty incredible,” she said. “He’s one of the wisest, most compassionate people I’ve ever known.”

Barrows agreed.

“There is nobody who loves this university more and who has been a bigger advocate for students,” he said. “He’s just a big, warm, fuzzy.”