Search for Dean continues

Interviews and campus visits for the top three candidates for Dean of Students started Monday and continue through next week. As part of the process the student body is invited to a presentation by each of the candidates that is followed by an open forum. Tracy Tyree, the Dean of Student Life at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., presented to students Monday afternoon. Richard Ferraro, the Dean of Students at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., presented to students on Thursday afternoon.

Ainsley Carry, the Dean of Students at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa., presents this Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Crecent room of the Student Center.

“The search for a new Dean of Students is moving very quickly. We are currently in the on-campus interview phase for our three finalists, and we hope to make a decision shortly,” said David Andersen, undergraduate student body president.

The top three candidates were chosen from a pool of 143 applicants. Tech contracted with the search firm Spelman and Johnson to conduct a national search after the former Dean of Students, Gail DiSabatino, announced she was leaving this semester to accept the vice president of Student Affairs position at Clemson University.

In addition to the presentation, the candidates take a tour of campus and meet with the vice president of Student Affairs, the vice provost for Undergraduate Studies and Academic Affairs, the search committee and students as part of their interview. Each candidate was given the following prompt for their presentation: “The Dean of Students has a long tradition of support and advocacy for student life and is known as a ‘friend of the student’. Explain what this phrase means to you and how it relates to your overall philosophy of student affairs and development.”

“We want the candidates to see who we are at this point and to see if they are the right fit....It is a two way street,” said William Schafer, vice president of Student Affairs.

The search committee will meet after the final candidate interview and consider feedback from the Institute community as well as information gained from the interview.

“Once we narrow it to one or two finalists we will bring them back to campus...to make sure top Institute officials talk to the candidate before an offer is made,” Schafer said.

Schafer said he estimated that there are two to four weeks left in the process.

“The three candidates are really very top candidates. At this point they are all very qualified and now it is about finding the right match for Tech,” Schafer said.

Schafer said that the Dean of Students position is a very special position at Tech as previous Deans have stayed in their positions for long periods of time and there have only been a few Deans in recent history. DiSabatino held the position for 11 years.

“The key question is are they ready to come in and give the time and energy the job requires,” Schafer said.