"We have a large pool of candidates, and we are excited about them," said Director of the Career Center Rosalind Hoffa, "The timetable is unusual, because it's a mid-year search, but we plan to reach our decision by the beginning of the second semester."
Meanwhile, Dean Hoffa has offered to remain in his position until a replacement has been hired and trained. The new title for his replacement, Director of International Experience, reflects the expansion of the responsibilities expected of the Study Abroad Advisor. The position also holds the titles of Assistant Director of the Career Center and Assistant Dean of Students.
The Director of International Experience will have primary responsibility for advising students on study-abroad options, just as the Study Abroad Advisor does currently. In addition to this role, the Director of International Experience will also provide non-academic support, such as counseling on international careers, short-term work overseas and summer study.
Furthermore, the Director of International Experience will serve as a liaison between the faculty and the Committee on Study Abroad. Additionally, the director will serve as the dean on duty several times a year, and maintain and expand the list of approved programs for study abroad. "We are looking to enhance our approved list of study-abroad programs, especially with regards to nontraditional areas, to diversify options for different fields, different areas and different geographies," said Dean Hoffa.
The position will be full-time and year-round, whereas the current Study Abroad Advisor position entails a part-time commitment.
The College is seeking a candidate with a master's degree, experience in international education, familiarity with the goals of a liberal arts college and experience working with racially and culturally diverse students. Once a candidate has been hired, he or she will work closely with Study Abroad Advisor William Hoffa during the spring semester, learning the ropes during a transition period.
The Career Center has been holding meetings with the candidates for the new position which are open to students considering study abroad. Last Wednesday, Nov. 29, students met with candidate Janna Behrens of Tufts University.
Behrens was in the Peace Corps for five years, and has taught biology and ceramics in Ghana and India. For the past five years, she has been at Tufts University, which administers 10 of its own study-abroad programs. She advocated a pre-departure orientation that would be region-specific, as opposed to the generic orientation that the College offers all of its students who study abroad. "It's important to address cultural norms of a particular region, which translates into safety issues for students," said Behrens.
On Monday, Dec. 4, students met with Matthew Mayers, who most recently worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While a student at Pomona College, he studied in Madrid through the Middlebury Language Program. After his graduation, he spent a summer in Mexico, and traveled through South America for a year. He explained at the meeting, "It's important for students to become an outsider for a while, in a potentially very uncomfortable situation. Learning to negotiate that situation will produce personal growth. Students then bring some of that compassion back to the States, because we unfortunately make outsiders of one another in our own country."
"I thought it was interesting to attend the meetings, since I'm studying abroad next semester. I personally was interested in the ideas each of the candidates has about increasing the accessibility and visibility of programs in destinations besides Europe and Australia," said Lily Shapiro '08, who attended the meetings with both Janna Behrens and Matthew Meyers. "Of course, those traditional programs are important and valuable, but it has been more difficult, I think, for students to find and possibly petition for programs in other parts of the world. That seems to be changing, and I think it's important that the person hired is invested in continuing that trend."
The next meeting with a candidate for the Director of International Experience will be held on Friday, Dec. 8, at 1:15 p.m. at Porter Lounge in Converse Hall. Students interested in study abroad will have the opportunity to meet with candidate Andrew Jilani.