Last November, Dean of Students Ben Lieber made known his intentions to step down from his position, which he had held for a quarter of the decade, by the end of the year. The College could not find a replacement by the start of this school year, so Lieber agreed to remain as Dean of Students until a suitable fill-in is found.
The Search Committee for the Dean of Students, which has solicited applications for the position since Lieber’s decision to step down, has narrowed the number of candidates to four. They include Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Bowdoin College Margaret Hazlett, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Claremont McKenna College Jefferson Huang, Senior Associate Dean of Students at Amherst Charri Boykin-East and, finally, Dean of Students at Georgetown University Law Center Mitchell Bailin.
“The goal is to have someone as soon as we possibly can [to fill the position],” said Tekla Harms, Professor of Geology and chair of the Search Committee. “One of these four candidates is liable to become our Dean of Students.”
Yesterday, the first of four candidates visited Amherst to meet with faculty, administrators and students. Over the next three weeks, the other three candidates will make similar appearances.
At a pizza dinner last night in O’Connor Commons, Hazlett met with students to provide her opinions on issues ranging from diversity and sustainability to the role of the dean on campus.
Hazlett has been at Bowdoin for 13 years, where she was Freshman Dean for eight years and Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs for the past three. “Bowdoin is a wonderful place, but it’s exciting to see what challenges and opportunities are here,” said Hazlett.
While extolling Amherst throughout much of the night, Hazlett did point out several areas she thought were lacking.
For one, she was “shocked” that Amherst did not have a full-time sustainability coordinator. She was also surprised by the setup of Keefe Campus Center, which seemed to lack large meeting places among the series of small rooms, as well as the limited meal plan options offered.
On the topic of diversity, which was a recurring subject throughout the night, Hazlett commented on both the opportunities and the pitfalls. The opportunities exist for meaningful conversations between people of completely different backgrounds, she remarked, yet too often, they do not happen because students are too busy with their various time commitments. “I hope that it’s not always talking about the potential, but making the potential happen now,” she said.
Hazlett stressed the importance of the dean as a “sounding board,” in addition to being a disciplinarian, a mature voice students could turn to for advice. She pointed to an activity that she is in the process of setting up at Bowdoin — wine and cheese for seniors. At this event, students will be able to meet with different deans simply to discuss their senior years to increase interaction. She also described the bi-weekly “Hang with the Deans” program at Bowdoin, in which the deans spend an hour in the student center talking with students.
As for the general question of what she thought students should gain from an Amherst education, Hazlett had three clear answers. For one, students should step outside of their comfort zones. On this topic, she noted the lack of female participation in Bowdoin’s student government and ways in which she hoped to change that. Secondly, students should fail and learn to live with failure, be it in the classroom (she noted her concern about grade inflation at Bowdoin) or the athletic field. Finally, students should become fearless in asking questions.
Hazlett also encouraged students to enjoy themselves during their college years. “We take ourselves way too serious too often,” remarked Hazlett. “Lighten up and have fun.”
Hazlett spent most of the night answering a flurry of questions from some 30 to 40 students.
“I thought she was very personable and genuine,” said Amherst Association of Students (AAS) Senator Ariadne DeSimone ’10. “I can see her being our Dean of Students, though I can’t commit to her before seeing the other candidates. I was very impressed with the student interest and dedication towards the search for the new Dean of Students. I think we are all aware of how important Dean Lieber has been in our lives here at the College.”
“A search like this gives us an opportunity to think about what we can do better here while simultaneously giving us the means to affect the change that we feel needs to happen,” said AAS President Peter Tang ’10. “It’s crucial that a wide array of students representing all sorts of groups take this opportunity to ask questions, hear answers and be challenged on their opinions as we look to fill this very critical position.”
Ultimately, President Tony Marx will have the final say in hiring the next Dean of Students. However, according to the members of the Search Committee, students should not be afraid of providing their input. “If students meet the candidates and feel strongly one way or the other, they should feel free to communicate their feelings to a member of the Search Committee,” said Ryan Milov ’10, a member of the Committee, “and we will see to it that Marx hears them.”