The position, as advertised, would involve coordinating advising and programs for first-year students. The College of Arts and Sciences will soon hire a new staff member to serve as the "dean of freshmen," a position created as part of the College's ongoing advising overhaul. The post will involve coordinating advising efforts, the expanded New Student Orientation and many other programs for the benefit of first-year students, School of Arts and Sciences Dean Samuel Preston said yesterday. The dean of freshmen will "serve as an advocate for freshmen in the College office," Preston said and will organize freshmen advising and academic-development programs. The position was created as a result of a reorganization of the current College advising staff, he said, which is part of the College's efforts to integrate the many parts of its now-fragmented advising system. Preston noted that all freshmen will remain within the College's regular advising system, though their activities will be coordinated by the new dean. "There will not be a separate staff of advisors for freshmen," he said. The dean of freshmen will also be responsible for organizing NSO in the College and for overseeing the creation of handbooks for incoming freshmen and their parents. The Council of Undergraduate Deans voted earlier this semester to expand NSO from four days to seven, allowing an expanded academic advising component to be added. The dean of freshmen will only be responsible for coordinating academic and advising programs for first-year students, Preston said, after which responsibility for the students will fall under the regular advising coordinators. Preston said the deanship is similar to ones that exist at undergraduate colleges in several other universities. The new dean of freshmen will report to College Dean Richard Beeman and Deputy Provost Peter Conn, according to an advertisement placed in The Chronicle of Higher Education announcing the position. Preston said that although a national search is being conducted to fill the position, both internal and external candidates are being considered. He expects the position to be filled within the next month, allowing the new dean to have time to prepare plans for the fall semester. Applications for the job will be accepted until April 15. According to the advertisement for the position, candidates must have at least a master's degree in a field that is taught in the College and a minimum of five years of "significant and progressively responsible experience in an undergraduate college program."
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.