Dean of the College review underway

Student, faculty committee members to be selected

Elysia Glover Assistant News Editor

Dean of the College Judy Jackson will be up for evaluation this spring.

The review, required by College Governance is an essential part of the Dean of the College appointment process. As mandated by College Governance, President Catharine Bond Hill will lead the evaluation during what will be the spring of Jackson’s fourth year as Dean of the College. The minimum term for Dean of the College is five years.

Keeping with College Mandates regarding the review process, two separate Dean of the College (DOC) Review Committees are currently being formed to assist the President in her decision next spring. The faculty DOC Review Committee and the student DOC Review Committee will each be responsible for writing a report on Jackson’s performance during her term as Dean of the College. The written evaluation will then be submitted to Hill for consideration.

Members of the student and faculty committees have not yet been confirmed. “Elections are still in the works for the faculty committee. It will take about two more weeks before the committee is in place,” said Hill.

The student DOC Review Committee will also be finalized by this time. During the second half of this semester, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) repeatedly called for applicants from the student body to form the Student Committee. With final applications accepted this past Monday Dec. 2, both Vassar Student Association Vice President for Student Life Morgan Warners ’08 and VSA President Sam Charner ‘08 hope to announce the finalized list of council members at the Dec. 9 VSA Council meeting.

While the decision of whether to re-appoint Jackson will ultimately be left to Hill and the appointed faculty DOC Review Committee, the student report will be seriously considered in evaluating Dean Jackson’s performance.

“The student report is advisory...[it] will inform the decision on reappointment, discussions about the Dean’s job performance, and the post itself, “Warners said in an e-mailed statement. “It is an opportunity to take stock.”

Warners pointed to the nature of the Dean of the College’s position and the impact of Dean Jackson’s duties on student life.

“Though the student report is advisory, I have the feeling it will be taken very seriously,” said Warners. “We are talking about a post that oversees all of the student affairs offices. Taking the student report seriously just makes sense.”

This sentiment was echoed by Hill, who, in an e-mailed statement, explained the Student Committee’s role in the review process.

“The Dean of the College is involved in so many different areas and with so many different groups, it is important that the review process be comprehensive,” Hill wrote. “The Governance provisions for the review [forming separate student and faculty committees] is designed to do exactly that. I see the process as an opportunity for conversation about the role of the office as well as a mechanism for deciding about reappointment.”

The position of Dean of the College was created in 1994 to oversee a variety of services.

At present these include academic and career advising, off-campus study, health and disability services, multicultural services, campus activities, equal opportunity and affirmative action, student employment, religious and spiritual life, campus dining, and campus security.

Warners, who will chair the student DOC review committee, emphasized the positive impact he hoped to see from the work of the two committees. “From the get-go, I want this committee to be constructive and fair. I really hope that students see things like this as an important way of getting involved,” he said.

He also pointed to the benefits of communication that will result between students, faculty and senior administrators as a part of the review and evaluation process.

“Many students point out problems with the way information flows between the administration and students,” Warners said. “Besides working through the Council and the Executive Board, reviews like this are vital chances to renew connections and get administrators and students to check in with each other on the state of the college.”