First director of diversity and first-generation programs appointed

Nearly a decade after he left Stanford, Tommy Lee Woon is returning to the Farm in April to become the university’s first director of diversity and first-gen programs.

Currently, Woon is the dean of multicultural life at Macalester College, a private liberal arts college in St. Paul, Minn. The college, with a student population of 2,000, has 31 academic departments offering degrees in three dozen majors.

Woon, who was born in Yuma, Ariz., and grew up in San Mateo, Calif., is a second-generation Chinese American. At Stanford, he will help students who are the first members of their families to attend a four-year college, as well as low-income students, successfully navigate the unfamiliar terrain of college life.

Sally Dickson, associate vice provost for student affairs, said she was delighted to welcome Woon back to the Stanford community in the newly created position.

“Tommy will be the primary resource person for the first-generation/low-income student community at Stanford,” Dickson said. “He will help establish the vision for the program and he will engage students and our division in the examination and exploration of cross-cultural communication and social justice.”

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