Since 1998, Dr. Bonita C. Jacobs has been Vice President for Student Development and Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of North Texas, a doctoral-granting university of 31,000 students.  She holds an undergraduate degree in Spanish and history and a master’s degree in counseling from Stephen F. Austin State University with additional studies in Morelia and Monterrey, Mexico.  Dr. Jacobs earned her Ph.D. in educational administration from Texas A & M University and was formerly Director of Residence Life at Stephen F. Austin State University.  She was Dean of Students and Interim Vice President for Student Development at Western Carolina University prior to assuming her position at the University of North Texas.

Dr. Jacobs is the former editor of The Journal of College Orientation and Transition and is the recipient of the “Outstanding Contributions to the Orientation Profession Award” and “The President’s Award” both from the National Orientation Directors Association.  She is a 2001 Fellow of Leadership America and a 1996 Participant in the Alice Manicur Symposium.  Her publications include The Transfer Student in America: The Forgotten Student; Starting From Scratch, a first-year experience textbook; chapters in The Orientation Planning Manual, College Counseling: Issues and Strategies for a New Millennium, and Orienting Diverse Populations; and numerous articles and reviews.