MIT Chancellor Integrates 3 Students Support Organizations Into One Department; Blanche Staton To Serve As Interim Grad Dean

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart '88 commenced the move of realigning the three foremost student support organizations into the Division of Student Life (DSL) during the opening of Suzy Nelson's leadership of DSL serving as vice president and dean for student life.

Barnhart said in her email to MIT staff that they should make it easier for students to contact support resources, strengthen the networks between residential life and student support and to proactively touch the MIT students who are more likely need their help.

MIT's Student Support Services (S3), Community Development and Substance Abuse (CDSA) and Violence Prevention and Response (VPR), Student Disabilities Services (SDS) will be integrated into a new department ro serve students under David Randall supervision. Randall has been appointed Student Support and Well-Being Senior Associate Dean.

VPR will remain a confidential student resource it continues to be headed by Kate McCarthy while SDS and CDSA will also remain under the direction of Kathleen Monagle and Don Camelio, respectively. Conversely, Randall named current S3 Deans James Collins and Gerardo Garcia-Rios as interim co-directors of his office.

Furthermore, the Fraternities, Sororities and Independent Living Groups (FSILGs) handled by Brad Badgley will be joining the groups reporting to newly named Senior Dean for Residentiual Education, Judy Robinson. Those groups are namely, Residential Life Programs under Julie Rothhaar-Sanders, Conflict Management@MIT under Libby Mahaffy and the Office of Student Citizenship under Kevin Kraft.

Both Robinson and Randall were assigned to report for Nelson in DSL. This latest realignment is expected to be full complete by the time students' return to MIT campus in August. The MIT Chancellor also reorganized her staff on the leadership transition happening at ODGE after Dean Christine Ortiz's announcement of departure from MIT in January.

Meanwhile, Blanche Staton has courteously agreed to be the acting Interim Dean starting on July 1 as important work of defining ODGE's vision for the future continues and identifying the organization and leadership necessary to achieve that vision, wrote Barnhart.

This report is derived from MT News Report.