Meet Rony Die, UD’s New Dean of Students
Photo via University of Dayton
Patrick Jones | Contributing Writer
A new dean of students is coming to our Flyer community. Here is what he’s all about.
Rony Die, Ph.D., comes from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville (SIUE), a public university on the northeast side of St. Louis. At SIUE, he was vice chancellor for student affairs and dean of students. He oversaw five domains in his role there: counseling and health services, student conduct, student care and advocacy, health promotion and wellness, and career development. He also chaired the behavioral intervention and threat assessment teams.
Die comes to UD as 35-year employee Chris Schramm retires in June. In the meantime, she will help facilitate a smooth transition as special assistant to the vice president for student development and chief student experience officer. Schramm wants to ensure a commitment to the school’s Marianist traditions and values are upheld.
While Schramm is sad to leave the UD community, she is glad to see a “new face, new ideas [and] new energy.”
When asked about why she stepped down from her role, Schramm replied, “It’s just time for new.” Schramm believes academia is in a time of change. She says the biggest problem facing any university is keeping policy updated in the instantaneous, electronic world we now live in. “How do we begin to shift from being reactive… to more proactive?”
She believes Die will bring a fresh perspective to this proactivity versus reactivity.
Die’s role will be overseen by Casey Gill, who is vice president for student development and chief student experience officer. She was brought onto the university’s administrative team in January 2025. According to Gill, she is in charge of “the big picture of student experience,” while Die will take “the day-to-day lead with students.”
Die’s portfolio of responsibilities regarding student care and advocacy plus the size of university he does it in is what separated him from other candidates, Gill said, given SIUE is a slightly larger enrollment than UD with 12,813 students compared to UD’s 10,598 students.
Die also said he brings a high level of attention to detail and analytical thinking. He believes it is important to be a data-driven leader to better understand his student body. A student body, a community, that Die is looking forward to working with.
Before his time at SIUE, Die was assistant dean of students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). There, he led efforts in student conflict and Title IX investigations. He’s also held administrative positions at Texas Christian University, Louisiana State University, University of Missouri, and Florida International University.
Die is an alum of the University of Florida, where he got his bachelor’s in family, youth and community sciences. He holds a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Miami, and a doctorate in educational administration and foundations from Illinois State University.
Outside of the office, Die plays the bass guitar. Something he’s done since he was 12-years-old, having played in his church growing up. In college at UF, he was in a band that played Caribbean music “such as Kompa, Reggae [and] Soca.” Even in his busy career, he still makes time to play bass, having been a part of a salsa band with colleagues at UIUC until COVID hit.
Die is a native of Florida, hailing from Miami. He is the youngest of his siblings and his parents are Haitian immigrants. He was the first person in his family to have gone to college let alone receive a master’s and a doctorate. He has been married to his wife six years, with whom he has two children. In his free time, other than playing bass, he loves to read and play video games.
Die, asked to share his idea of success, said success is when students can look back on their time at the university and have a smile.