<rleton’s search for a Director of Campus Activities is nearing its final stretch. Candidates for the position, which opened after the departure of T. Todd Masman in December, will be visiting campus through next week.
Shortly after the position opening was announced, a Search Advisory Committee was formed, headed by Associate Dean of Students Julie Thornton and comprised of four students, a professor and the Directors of the Career Center, Intercultural Life and Recreational Sports. According to Thornton, they received forty to fifty applications and narrowed those down to ten on the grounds of qualifications, including a Master’s Degree in an Education Administration related-field and six years of post-master’s experience. The committee then conducted phone interviews with the final ten and, after calling references with any questions that remained, chose four candidates.
The final round of the hiring process is campus visits, which began Monday with Amy Ham and will continue with Sarah Oehler, Troy Seppelt and Lee Clark next week. Ham, who is currently working on her doctorate in Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota, served separately as the Student Activities Coordinator and the Associate Director of Student Life at fellow private liberal arts institution Haverford College in Haverford, Pa. She has extensive experience in planning student activities, including freshman orientation and senior week.
Understanding of the organization and development of new student activities was a main factor in the decision making process, as the notice of the position opening states, “Building a collaborative working relationship with the CSA along with reexamining the department’s role in new student orientation will be among the chief priorities of the CAO [Campus Activities Office] in the months ahead.” The Campus Activities Director also advises student organizations, mainly SUMO and KRLX, and sponsors all-campus events including family weekend, the Halloween Concert, Midwinter Ball, DVD Fest and Senior Week.
Ham’s two days on campus began with a meeting with Thornton, which served as an orientation to the Carleton environment rather than another interview. “We’ve already established that they can all do the job,” Thornton said, adding it was her duty to “act as a support and fill in the holes” in order to make the candidate’s experience as positive and comfortable as possible.
Ham later met with the Search Advisory Committee, Campus Activities Office leaders, Associate Deans, Student Life directors and staff, student organization representatives, staff from various departments and Dean of Students Hudlin Wagner. Each of these groups Carleton’s search for a Director of Campus Activities is nearing its final stretch. Candidates for the position, which opened after the departure of T. Todd Masman in December, will be visiting campus through next week.
Shortly after the position opening was announced, a Search Advisory Committee was formed, headed by Associate Dean of Students Julie Thornton and comprised of four students, a professor and the Directors of the Career Center, Intercultural Life and Recreational Sports. According to Thornton, they received forty to fifty applications and narrowed those down to ten on the grounds of qualifications, including a Master’s Degree in an Education Administration related-field and six years of post-master’s experience. The committee then conducted phone interviews with the final ten and, after calling references with any questions that remained, chose four candidates.
The final round of the hiring process is campus visits, which began Monday with Amy Ham and will continue with Sarah Oehler, Troy Seppelt and Lee Clark next week. Ham, who is currently working on her doctorate in Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota, served separately as the Student Activities Coordinator and the Associate Director of Student Life at fellow private liberal arts institution Haverford College in Haverford, Pa. She has extensive experience in planning student activities, including freshman orientation and senior week.
Understanding of the organization and development of new student activities was a main factor in the decision making process, as the notice of the position opening states, “Building a collaborative working relationship with the CSA along with reexamining the department’s role in new student orientation will be among the chief priorities of the CAO [Campus Activities Office] in the months ahead.” The Campus Activities Director also advises student organizations, mainly SUMO and KRLX, and sponsors all-campus events including family weekend, the Halloween Concert, Midwinter Ball, DVD Fest and Senior Week.
Ham’s two days on campus began with a meeting with Thornton, which served as an orientation to the Carleton environment rather than another interview. “We’ve already established that they can all do the job,” Thornton said, adding it was her duty to “act as a support and fill in the holes” in order to make the candidate’s experience as positive and comfortable as possible.
Ham later met with the Search Advisory Committee, Campus Activities Office leaders, Associate Deans, Student Life directors and staff, student organization representatives, staff from various departments and Dean of Students Hudlin Wagner. Each of these groups Carleton’s search for a Director of Campus Activities is nearing its final stretch. Candidates for the position, which opened after the departure of T. Todd Masman in December, will be visiting campus through next week.
Shortly after the position opening was announced, a Search Advisory Committee was formed, headed by Associate Dean of Students Julie Thornton and comprised of four students, a professor and the Directors of the Career Center, Intercultural Life and Recreational Sports. According to Thornton, they received forty to fifty applications and narrowed those down to ten on the grounds of qualifications, including a Master’s Degree in an Education Administration related-field and six years of post-master’s experience. The committee then conducted phone interviews with the final ten and, after calling references with any questions that remained, chose four candidates.
The final round of the hiring process is campus visits, which began Monday with Amy Ham and will continue with Sarah Oehler, Troy Seppelt and Lee Clark next week. Ham, who is currently working on her doctorate in Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota, served separately as the Student Activities Coordinator and the Associate Director of Student Life at fellow private liberal arts institution Haverford College in Haverford, Pa. She has extensive experience in planning student activities, including freshman orientation and senior week.
Understanding of the organization and development of new student activities was a main factor in the decision making process, as the notice of the position opening states, “Building a collaborative working relationship with the CSA along with reexamining the department’s role in new student orientation will be among the chief priorities of the CAO [Campus Activities Office] in the months ahead.” The Campus Activities Director also advises student organizations, mainly SUMO and KRLX, and sponsors all-campus events including family weekend, the Halloween Concert, Midwinter Ball, DVD Fest and Senior Week.
Ham’s two days on campus began with a meeting with Thornton, which served as an orientation to the Carleton environment rather than another interview. “We’ve already established that they can all do the job,” Thornton said, adding it was her duty to “act as a support and fill in the holes” in order to make the candidate’s experience as positive and comfortable as possible.
Ham later met with the Search Advisory Committee, Campus Activities Office leaders, Associate Deans, Student Life directors and staff, student organization representatives, staff from various departments and Dean of Students Hudlin Wagner. Each of these groups was chosen because of its close contact with the Director of Campus Activities. Ham also received a staff and student-led tour and attended a CSA meeting followed by an open student forum.
A similar schedule will be followed for the remaining campus visits, and Thornton encourages students to seize the opportunity to raise their concerns at future open forums. “Now we’ll let students and colleagues ask the tough questions,” Thornton said. “We want as many folks to be involved in this as possible.”
Monday’s forum with Sarah Oehler will be held at 8:15 in the Alumni Guest House Library. Oehler has experience with admissions programs at several universities and was a Student Services Specialist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she is now the Coordinator of Orientation, working with first year and international students. Wednesday’s forum with Troy Seppelt will be at 7:30 pm, also in the Alumni Guest House Library. Seppelt is currently pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education Leadership at Azusa Pacific University in Azusa, Cal. and has served as the Assistant Director of Residential Life at Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minn. since 2001. Lee Clark’s Thursday forum will also be at 7:30 in the Alumni Guest House Library. Clark was chosen for a campus visit shortly before this issue went to press, so his qualifications are currently unavailable.
The Search Advisory Committee would like to decide on a candidate by April 1 but has set July as the deadline to have the new Director in place.