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Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Public Safety
Virginia Miller Ambler, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President for Student Affairs and Public Safety at William & Mary. In this role, Dr. Ambler has broad responsibility for student welfare, leadership development, accessibility services, honor & conduct, academic enrichment, orientation, student organizations, civic engagement, residence life, campus recreation, student health and counseling, police, emergency management, risk management, and threat assessment.
As a student, Dr. Ambler majored in English and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1988. After earning her M.A. in Higher Education & Student Affairs at Ohio State, she worked at Franklin & Marshall College before returning to W&M. She completed a Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Planning, & Leadership in 2006 and assumed the role of Vice President for Student Affairs in 2009. In December 2023 Dr. Ambler assumed responsibility for W&M’s public safety division and was named Senior Vice President.
A member of the president’s cabinet, Dr. Ambler is co-chair of the university’s Emergency Management Team, co-chair of W&M’s Vision 2026 Democracy pillar, and she also serves on the Risk Assessment Committee and the Threat Assessment Team. An Executive Associate Professor in the School of Education, her doctoral research – Who Flourishes in College? Using Positive Psychology and Student Involvement Theory to Explore Mental Health Among Traditionally Aged Undergraduates – was recognized nationally with NASPA’s 2007 Melvene D. Hardee Dissertation of the Year Award.
