April
9,
2004
Bowie
Announces Braun’s Appointment
Photo: Todd M. LeMieux
Liz Braun, dean of
students/associate dean of the College
|
Dean of the College Lee Bowie
has announced that Liz Braun has been appointed the new dean
of students/associate dean of the College. Braun, who has held
the position on an interim basis since September, was formerly
director of residential life.
“Liz has a remarkable combination of wisdom and a very approachable manner
with students,” Bowie said. “She is extraordinarily organized and
made a tremendous difference in residential life when she came on board.”
The dean of students is responsible for planning and coordinating student services
that support academic programs and enhance the quality of life outside the classroom.
Poulomi Saha ’04, SGA vice president, has had numerous opportunities to
work with Braun in her new role. “She is incredibly invested in the well-being
of the student body and in ensuring that student voices are heard, needs met,” Saha
said. “Her approach to students, making herself as available and accessible
as possible, is just one indicator of the great work she’s doing.”
In addition to working with student organizations and boards, Braun holds open
hours in Blanchard every week. “Her availability to students sends a clear
message and shows where her heart is,” Bowie said. “Liz makes sure
she’s not isolated.”
Prior to coming to Mount Holyoke in 1999, Braun worked at Bowdoin College and
Boston University. She did her undergraduate work at Mary Washington College
and earned an M.A. in English literature from Boston University. Braun is currently
pursuing a doctorate in education at the University of Massachusetts. Her research
interests include racial identity development, climate issues for ALANA students
at predominantly white institutions, and models for institutional change. Last
year, Braun reviewed How Minority Students Experience College: Implications for
Planning and Policy for the Journal of College Student Retention. Her most recent
research paper is “Pressured to Whiten: Adapting or Resisting Prescribed
Survival Behavior at a New England College,” which she hopes to present
at next fall’s American Anthro-pological Association conference.
“It is an honor and a privilege to serve the students and the College in
this capacity,” Braun said. “Over the past five years, Mount Holyoke
has truly become my home.”
Bowie also announced that the College is forming a search committee to hire an
assistant dean of students for multicultural affairs. The new assistant dean
will advise ALANA cochairs, support cultural organizations and underrepresented
groups, facilitate cultural programming, and make productive connections to the
Office of Student Programs, the Career Development Center, and other offices
and services. “We’re looking for someone smart, energetic, and creative—someone
who is committed to
cultural diversity and is thinking about it in new and exciting ways,” Bowie
said.
The College is forming a separate search committee to hire three (sophomore,
junior, and senior) class deans. Leah Glasser will continue to be dean of first-year
studies, but other academic deans will stay with their classes until they graduate.
This will provide more continuity for those students who rely on the class deans,
according to Bowie.
Students interested in serving on either search committee should contact Poulomi
Saha, SGA vice president, at psaha or x4096.
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