Andrew Miller, Lab’s current assistant director of student services, will take on the new role at the high school as dean of student success starting July 1. Principal Martin Woods announced the hiring in an email to the community on May 19.

The new role, an addition to U-High’s administrative team, is aimed to help students transition to high school and stemmed partly out of feedback from the 2024 health and wellness student survey. Other responsibilities include data collection and analysis around academics and wellness, structuring advisory, monitoring attendance and attention to academic integrity.

Mr. Miller joined Lab in July 2023 and previously worked as a counselor and school psychologist at private schools in Chicago and at the Chicago Public Schools.

Mr. Miller said he hopes to help cultivate the student experience at the school and further center joy and the “Beloved Community.”

“I really want to help support students developing and achieving what they want a successful high school experience to look like,” Mr. Miller said.

To implement these goals and empower students, he said he plans to work with counselors on the advisory program, with Dean of Students Ana Campos to improve retreats, with teachers to provide a support system, with parents to combine findings at school with experiences at home and, most importantly, with students to hear from them directly.

“I think with the work that I’ve done with students across different schools, I’ve really learned to listen as much as I can to students’ voices and just try to grow from their insights that they have,” Mr. Miller said.