The faculty’s seek for new vice presidents has formally come to an finish.
President James Birge despatched out an electronic mail on Thursday, March 25 saying and welcoming the three new vice presidents to MCLA.
Joseph DaSilva has been employed for Vice President for Administration and Finance, Dr. Richard Glejzer for Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dr. Jeannette Smith for the Vice President of Student Affairs.
DaSilva has over 28 years value of expertise in increased training, in keeping with the e-mail from Birge. The final 21 of these years DaSilva spent at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA. There, he served as VP of Administration/CFO.
“Joe supplied government-degree imaginative and prescient, management, planning, path, and managed/oversaw all features of fiscal operations, services administration, Campus Police, Information Technology, Student Financial Services, and Human Resources/Employee Benefits and Operations Center,” Birge wrote within the electronic mail.
DaSilva holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western New England University and a grasp’s diploma in Higher Education Administration from Bay Path University.
There have been a complete of 40 candidates for the place and solely 13 made it to the interview portion of the method, in keeping with Robert Ziomek, the search committee chair for the vp of Administration and Finance (VPA&F) and the vp of Institutional Advancement.
When trying by way of the candidates, Ziomek stated that the committee searched for somebody who understood public increased training finance. Other qualities checked out have been what sort of supervisor they have been, what they’d deliver to the establishment, how clear they have been of their work, in addition to how they handle by way of variety, fairness and inclusion (DEI).
Four finalists have been then dropped at an open discussion board through Zoom the place they launched themselves and answered questions. After every interview, attendees have been despatched a survey in regards to the candidate.
The search committee gave their suggestions as to who to rent and it was Birge who made the choice.
“I really feel assured President Birge used every bit of information he may probably get his fingers on to make the choice,” Ziomek stated in an interview.
“I really feel nice that we’ve an individual. I feel all 4 of them would have accomplished a fantastic job right here. I really feel nice, I can’t wait until he begins. We haven’t had a vp in that place for a few yr. That’s a very long time to go with out somebody main the division,” he added.
Curt Cellana has been interim director of fiscal affairs following Lawrence Behan’s departure from the VPA&F place in 2019 and a failed interim VP search final spring.
DaSilva enjoys spending time outdoor, studying and touring.
DaSilva will start his duties on June 7.
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Dr. Richard Glejzer will start his duties as Vice President for Academic Affairs on July 26.
Glejzer is presently the Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Muhlenberg College. He beforehand served as Provost and Dean of Faculty at Marlboro College for 10 years from 2010-2020, in keeping with the e-mail despatched out from Birge.
In his final yr on the establishment, he labored hand in hand together with his counterpart at Emerson College in Boston to efficiently mix their services, growing a Marlboro-inspired curriculum throughout the new Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson College.
Before working at Marlboro, Glejzer was a professor and chair of English and North Central College in Naperville, IL. While there, he revised the college’s composition program because the Director of Writing.
He spent three years as chair of the school’s tutorial applications and coverage committee. He additionally served on the school’s steering committee and the Dean’s Academic Advisory Committee and was a college liaison to the Board of Trustees.
There have been a complete of 85 candidates, in keeping with Carolyn Dehner, search chair for the VPAA search committee and chemistry professor.
A complete of 19 candidates have been interviewed through Zoom. Four have been dropped at the open classes.
“[We were] on the lookout for anyone who was actually scholar-centered. Somebody who has expertise with or was very excited to work intently with the brand new VPSA. [We were] hoping for a extra communal administration,” Dehner stated in an interview.
During the looking course of, the committee seemed for somebody who was a transparent clear communicator and actually valued communication as a prime precedence. Additionally, as a result of the college is unionized, the committee additionally seemed for candidates that had union expertise.
During the interviews, Glejzer was given conditions and was requested how he would deal with them. “[Glejzer] appeared actually spot on and actually spoke to his expertise and the way in which he communicated it was in a really organized style. It makes you may have a number of confidence that the particular person can deal with the actual scenario,” Dehner stated.
“He actually appears to be the actual deal. He’s good and he’s very invested within the college students and school on the establishment the place he works […] The campus suggestions was overwhelmingly optimistic. All the totally different individuals who could be affected by the one who could be in that place all appeared actually excited to work with him,” Dehner additionally famous.
English and Communications professor Michael Birch attended lots of the open classes for the VPAA candidates.
“It is a very, actually vital place and is centrally involved with issues to do with tutorial departments with an actual emphasis on scholar studying,” Birch stated.
While attending the classes, Dr. Rachel Rubenstein and Dr. Deborah A. Lawrence stood out to him specifically. Biology Professor Justin Golub attended lots of the open classes and stated that these candidates stood out to him as nicely.
“Either one would have excelled […] we’re going to be very well served by the three alternatives,” Birch stated.
While researching Glejzer, Birch got here throughout his curriculum vitae from his earlier work at Marlboro, which is anchored by three studying objectives: to write down with readability and precision, to work stay, and talk with a variety of people, and to guide an formidable challenge from thought to execution. “I feel that form of set of qualities goes to tell the school very nicely,” Birch commented.
Glejzer’s instructing pursuits embrace medieval literature, rhetoric, and cultural idea whereas specializing in the illustration of the Holocaust and different traumatic occasions.
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Dr. Jeannette Smith would be the faculty’s new Vice President for Student Affairs starting on June 28.
There have been 84 candidates in complete. 21 have been interviewed through zoom. By January, solely 5 met the factors set by the VPSA search committee, in keeping with search Chair and Physics professor Adrienne Wootters. Wootters additionally served as interim VPAA since Fall 2019. Only two candidates have been dropped at the open classes.
During meets early within the looking course of, the committee determined what was vital when on the lookout for candidates. “Ultimately, we at all times went again to ‘what’s our mission’, ‘what’s our strategic plan?’,” Wootters stated.
The committee determined that the candidate needed to be DEI-targeted.
“[It] needed to be one of many causes they do their work or no less than they’re very, very acutely aware of that vital work. We wish to be certain all of our college students persist and are profitable. We wish to guarantee that the VPSA has that on the prime of their heads,” Wooter
The committee got here up with a catchphrase that they stored at the back of the minds when reviewing candidates: the particular person have to be “scholar-centered and mission-pushed,” referring to the college’s mission that the establishment promotes excellence in studying and instructing, revolutionary scholarship, mental creativity, public service, utilized information, and lively and accountable citizenship, in keeping with the college’s web site.
“[Dr. Jeannette Smith] was everybody’s first alternative. I’m over the moon completely satisfied. She’s fantastic… she will get us,” Wootters stated.
Smith is a scholar-practitioner with 16 years of labor expertise in increased training, in keeping with Birge’s electronic mail. Her apply areas of expertise embrace scholar unions, residence life and eating, tutorial advising, monetary assist, shared governance, and scholar employment.
Her scholarship areas of curiosity embrace coverage, fairness, monetary assist, and scholar growth.
She acquired her B.A. from the University of Nevada-Reno in Journalism/Marketing in addition to her grasp’s diploma in increased training. Additionally, she has a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Administration from the identical establishment.
She served as Interim Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Engagement at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA and was beforehand Director of Student Activities & College Activities Building.
At Truckee Meadows Community College, Smith was the Financial Aid Coordinator for Scholarships and Outreach for 2 years.
In 2019, Smith offered a paper on the University of Helsinki in Finland on the lived expertise of first-technology college students who’ve skilled childhood trauma.
In 2020, she printed a e book chapter on the supply of scholar providers remotely as a instrument for fairness.
In 2021, Jeannette accomplished a seven-month-lengthy challenge to revamp a scholar affairs program at a public liberal arts faculty.
“What was tremendous vital to us was that this particular person labored hand in glove with the VPAA,” Wootters stated. “[Glejzer] and Jeannette are going to work collectively so nicely. I feel they complement one another’s abilities and strengths actually properly. His expertise enhances her creativity and her proclivities for considering outdoors the field.”
“I felt all of the candidates have been wonderful decisions. They all had their strengths, and every dealt with the non-conventional [virtual] format nicely,” Golub famous. “Jeanette Smith and James Stewart got here throughout as very personable and had good concepts about scholar engagement within the VPSS search.”
Smith is a primary-technology particular person of colour and has a ardour for supporting college students of marginalized identities. Her multi-racial household enjoys mountain climbing, tenting, touring, studying, and enjoying with their senior rescue canine, Biscuit.
