Twenty-one years ago, long before she became a student affairs professional, Felicia McGinty was a freshman at Northern Arizona University, more than two hours from home and struggling as a first-generation college student.

McGinty said that it was Dean of Students Tony Ross who helped her make the difficult transition to college by being there to listen as a "mentor and a friend."

"He is who inspired me the most to get into Student Affairs," McGinty said. "He reached out to me and showed me that he truly cared about my success."

Ross, also a first-generation college student, said he was "humbled" that McGinty now embodies his philosophy on Student Affairs.

"Students must come first," Ross said. "You must take as much time as needed on all the issues in their lives, whether personal or academic."

On Aug. 15, McGinty will become the first associate vice president for Student Engagement in Penn State's Division of Student Affairs, where she will be faced with the task of getting more students involved outside of the classroom.

McGinty, who has a Ph.D. in educational leadership, has been a student affairs professional for the 17 years since graduating from Northern Arizona. She has worked as a teacher developing diversity and social justice programs and as a five-year director of New Student Experience at Montclair State University.

Most recently, McGinty spent three years as the associate vice president of Student Affairs at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC).

"All of these roles have kept me close to students," she said. "My passion is to help shape the lives of students in a positive way and to work in a college environment."

Maritza Herrera, a former UMBC student who won a Student Affairs leadership award in 2005, said McGinty mentored her in her pursuit of higher education degree by helping her network and research graduate schools online.

"Felicia is a real role-model," Herrera said. "She's been a great support system and I'll miss her."

Penn State Vice President for Student Affairs Vicky Triponey said the selection process was highly competitive -- there were 50 to 100 applicants for the position -- but the "tie-breaker" was McGinty's dedication.

"[She] showed an incredible passion for her job," Triponey said. "She has a genuine heart."

Charles Fey, the UMBC supervisor who nominated McGinty for the Penn State position, said students would miss the friendships she made with them. "You couldn't walk with McGinty across campus without her running into and stopping to chat to all the students that she knew," he said.

McGinty said the size difference between Penn State and UMBC -- a difference of more than 30,000 students -- didn't bother her because her basic principles of being both visible and accessible would remain the same.

"It's still all about building relationships with people," McGinty said. "I want the students to get to know me personally."