Marion Mason’s resignation earlier this academic year left the Dean of Students position’s responsibilities to fall to three other staff members in the Student Development Office.
The most of the role of the Dean of Students is now filled by Jeff Kirksey, who is also the Vice President of Student Development.
Kirksey also served as both Vice President and Dean of Students his first year at ENC as well.
“In some ways this is a step back to an older model when we were navigating a vacancy of the Associate Dean for Student Conduct,” said Kirksey.
The largest challenge for the department has been working to improve the thoroughness and timeliness within the Student Conduct process.
The reasoning behind Kirksey’s decision to fill the Dean of Students role again was based on many factors such as timing, transitioning in the middle of the academic year, and finances.
When asked about the permanence of this role, Kirksey answered, “We are actively evaluating this new model to determine if this is the best long-range adjustment. The largest change for me is how I divide my time balancing division-wide strategies with the needs of the student conduct program.”
Being a Dean of Students can be hard, and most people involved do not relish the experience, but it is a powerful tool for student learning and growth.
“What I enjoy most is when I see students take responsibility, learn from the experience, and set a renewed and healthy course for their time at ENC. While the process is difficult it can be incredibly redemptive,” said Kirksey.
Kirksey isn’t the only one with more work, his colleagues are also taking on more tasks. Lis Moreau, in addition to her responsibilities as Resident Director of Young and Munro, has become the Director of Resident Life providing leadership to the residential program and housing processes.
Andrew Gray has become the Assistant Director of Resident Life while still overseeing Shields and Memorial. Gray is assisting Kirksey in managing the student conduct process managing most first offences and level 1 infractions to the Student Code of Conduct, also known as the Covenant.