Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Dean Search Presses On

Dean Search Presses On

By Andreas Andrea Hoya Staff Writer

The committee charged with finding a replacement for departing Dean of Students James A. Donahue has changed the official title of the post to vice president for student affairs, reflecting the committee’s emphasis on a candidate that can broach the disconnect between students and the administration.

According to Jacques Arsenault (COL ’01), a member of search committee and a junior class GUSA representative, the committee should recommend a candidate that would be strong advocate for students that could effectively work with the administration, fostering greater communication between students and administration at Georgetown.

“I would say based on what I have seen in my last two and a half years here this is one of the toughest positions to hold within the university community because you are often in between a rock and a hard place,” Arsenault said.

Indicative of the committee’s refocusing of the role, the position of dean of students has been revised to vice president for student affairs.

“We feel that the position has evolved over time and that the responsibilities involved are best described by the new title,” said Marcia Morris, search committee chairperson and chair of the department of Slavic languages.

Though the search to replace Donahue, who is leaving to become president of the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., is still in its preliminary stages and has not yet reviewed any applications, a protocol has been establish to expedite the matter, according to Ben Martin (COL ’01), a student on the committee.

Members of the committee are waiting for the results of five focus groups, the first of which is yet to be held due to the recent winter storm, in order to formulate their idea of what kind of individuals should be among their three recommendations.

Martin said that it is too early to comment on specifics regarding what kind of person the committee is looking for and is waiting for the student meeting to formulate his opinion on what kind of candidates would work in the best interests of students.

Morris said that students can nominate candidates for the position, however, they should do so by the Jan. 31 meeting so the committee can take care of formalities and paperwork before the final deadline for the submission of applications, which is Feb. 11. Applications are still being received by the provost’s office at this time.

According to Morris, the committee does not have a fixed meeting time and convenes as many times as they feel necessary. After the public meeting, much of the committee’s work will be the review of individual applications, which members can do on their own.

The full committee will do the interviews of candidates, and the students on the committee are on equal footing with the rest. “No one group has any kind of lead role in this,” Morris said, talking about the importance of student involvement. Martin said, “The committee so far has been very open to students. We are all equals.”

Some community members, such as Rev. Thomas M. King, S.J., feel that the vacancy presents an opportunity for the strengthening of the Georgetown’s Catholic identity. King, a professor of theology, who does not sit on the committee, said it would be a positive step to appoint a Catholic or someone who shares Catholic values, but said that it is not a requisite for the job. “You have to take the individual,” he said.

According to King, Georgetown could also strengthen its diversity through this appointment. “I think it could make a big difference in the whole student life on campus. Georgetown should consult its values and hopefully find someone who could implement them in an effective way,” King said.

Arsenault also thinks the university can strengthen its Catholic identity through this appointment but said that he does not believe in a litmus test. “I think what we are looking for is the strongest overall candidate. I don’t think we are going to put a limit on someone because of one characteristic. When we look for someone to hire, we are going look for someone who is sensitive to our Catholic identity, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that person has to be Catholic himself,” he said.

King said that the university should find a middle ground where it can both broaden its spectrum and strengthen its Catholic identity but said it will be difficult in trying to find that middle ground. He said he understands why critics could argue that there is a struggle in trying to strengthen both Catholic identity and diversity. “I think to give the school a Catholic identity you have to take some positive steps because if you go with the social current, you will drift towards diversity without the center in the pluralism we now have,” he said.

Morris said that the committee has not been asked to emphasize the recommendation of a Jesuit for the post but said, “we would be interested in looking at strong Jesuit candidates.” She also said that the committee is “equally open” to both candidates from inside and outside the Georgetown community. She also said, “Georgetown is always looking to have as diversified a pool as possible for any position,” Morris said.

Arsenault “I don’t think that we should necessarily target a member of one gender or one ethnicity, but I think that one of the characteristics we are looking for is someone who will stand up to acts of hatred and make sure that they are not tolerated on this campus. This is one of the issues of importance that will probably be brought up during the interviews.”

Three undergraduates and one graduate student sit on the committee. Two of the undergraduates, Martin and Bernadette Thomas (COL ’02), were recommended to the committee by GUSA, and Arsenault was recommended by Donahue, according to Martin. The graduate student, Nancy Garderner, (GRD ’04) was recommended by the Graduate Student Organization.

The committee is hoping to have three recommendations for University President Leo J. O’Donovan, S.J., by the end of March, according to Morris. She said that it is highly unlikely that O’Donovan would go outside of those three names; however, the final decision rests with him.

Morris said that the committee has advertised for the position in the Chronicle of Higher Education and has taken advantage of certain e-mail lists of student affairs personnel. Search firms have not had to be hired, she said.

The committee is planning a public meeting for Georgetown’s student community, one of the five focus groups, on Monday, Jan. 31, at 7:30 p.m. in Sellinger Lounge in the Leavey Center. According to Morris, an e-mail should be going out to all students about the event.

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