Inside Iowa State: Iowa State University

INSIDE IOWA STATE
February 1, 2002

Student affairs consolidates positions

by Steve Sullivan
The Office of Student Affairs will consolidate two administrative positions and bring minority student programs, retention programs and academic support services under one roof.

The positions of director of minority student affairs and associate dean of students will be consolidated into one position. Searches for the two positions will be closed. A search for the new position, to be called the associate dean of students and director of minority student affairs, will be launched soon.

Goal to serve students better
"The current budget situation played a part in this decision, but our main goal is to better serve students by bringing together academic support services, programs for minority students and programs that have a role in the university's retention efforts," said Tom Hill, vice president for student affairs. "We feel that this alignment will significantly strengthen each department within the Dean of Students Office."

The changes will take place during spring semester and are expected to be completed by mid-summer.

The Office of Minority Students Affairs will report to the new position. Other units that will report to the position are the Academic Success Center, a collection of units that provide various services, including tutoring; and the federally funded Student Support Services Program, which provides assistance for students who face challenges because of low-income backgrounds or disabilities.

Natural partnerships
"We continually strive to strengthen the effective delivery of services to students and this restructuring creates natural partnerships that allow us to do so under the current budget conditions. This is an exciting opportunity and we believe student success will be enhanced because of it," said Pete Englin, dean of students.

The Hixson Opportunity Awards and the Multicultural Vision Program, which currently are part of enrollment services, also will report to the associate dean of students and director of minority student affairs.

The Hixson Opportunity Awards program has provided renewable $2,500 scholarships to hundreds of students from Iowa who might not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue a college degree.

The Multicultural Vision Program provides four-year, full-tuition scholarships to minority students in Iowa. Debra Sanborn coordinates both programs.