This week the search for associate dean of students and residential life may have reached its end after the Search Committee interviewed two external candidates who were considered for the position.

“The Search Committee has conducted several phone interviews, and based on these we selected the candidates for on-campus interviews,” said Oberlin Student Cooperative Association President and committee member Kathleen Tierney.

The Committee, appointed by Acting Dean of Students Linda Gates, consists of three faculty and staff members and two students. It was established with to recruit and interview candidates for the position.

“Currently, there are two searches going on for associate deans in the residential education and dining services department and searches for a number of other positions in student life and services,” said Jane Boomer, coordinator of services for students with disabilities and a member of the Search Committee.

On Monday the first open forum was held for students who wanted to meet with candidate Elizabeth Ann Smock and to have an extensive discussion with her. Smock has two years of experience as an associate director of residence life at Michigan Technological University and more than 10 years of administrative experience prior to that.

“There are striking distinctions between the student body composition at Michigan Technological University and Oberlin College,” said sophomore Senior RA and student senator Matthew Kaplan, a sophomore.

“The dean needs to be socially fluid and understanding to Oberlin’s beautiful history of tolerance towards specific groups on campus,” he added. “Smock is a great woman with a strong background but she comes from a very homogenous student body.”

Shozo Kawaguchi, associate dean of students, said that the Search Committee is looking for a person who will fulfill the job requirements but will also enjoy working at Oberlin and with Oberlin students.

“It’s a mutual process, the candidates have to like Oberlin as well,” Kawaguchi said.

The second candidate who was interviewed this week came to campus on Thursday and met with students in the afternoon. Todd Douglas Harris currently serves as an associate director at Georgetown University and has nine years of experience in higher education. Harris said he applied for the position because he believed that it matches his skills better than the one he has at the moment.

He spoke of Georgetown’s university residence hall association, which he defined as an organization similar to what would come up from combining Student Senate and Hall Council. Harris also mentioned that he may be looking to implement a similar concept in Oberlin, but first he would like to become better acquainted with the current situation here.

“I think that if you come with a lot of preconceived ideas of what a place should look like, you may be pushing it,” he said. “Oberlin has a lot of very good program housing.”

Members of the committee expressed the opinion that after this week of interviews a decision may be reached.

“Those are two people that we are looking at exclusively and after this week we’ll make a decision on what to do next,” Kawaguchi said.

“There is no deadline, but we hope to have the person on board in July or August to prepare for the new dean,” he added.

Many changes are expected for the Residential Education and Dining Services department for next year, and Harris was also familiar with this situation.

“I’ve never seen an organization that’s going to turn over quite the way [ResEd] will,” he said.

Facing the result of these changes will be one of the main issues the new dean of residential life will have to deal with in the fall.

“Some of the things that we are looking for are strong leadership skills, experience with departmental changes and restructuring, a commitment to student autonomy and a belief in the fundamental importance of student voices, a background of work in multiculturalism and diversity, and years of experience in the field of student life,” Tierney said.

“The dean needs to understand our rich history with respect to progressive-thinking and tolerance. These traits are vital when creating a safe and healthy community for our diverse student body,” Kaplan added.

The only disappointment in the process of the search for an appropriate candidate for this position so far is the low student participation in the forums.  

“I had hoped that more students would attend the sessions with the candidates so that we could consult their opinions and impressions as we begin to discuss the results of the interviews,” Tierney said.

“This is a very important position,” Kawaguchi said. “I hope to find a good, good person who will get to know hundreds of students.”