Ware College House will soon be in new hands.
Graduate School of Education lecturer Nathan Smith was recently appointed Ware house dean and will take the helm on March 1.
"I'm really excited about the position," Smith said.
Smith will be taking the place of Katherine Lowe, who left Ware to work in the Office of Alumni Relations as the director of classes and reunions on Jan. 5.
Smith's enthusiasm for his new post was echoed by members of the College House System who see him as a good fit for Ware.
"He's fantastic. He was an outstanding candidate in a pool of outstanding candidates," Faculty Director of College Houses and Academic Services Phil Nichols said.
Smith came across the position while he was surfing the Web for a faculty position.
"It was posted on the human resources Web site," Smith said. "I had an interest in the position for various years, so I applied."
In his new role as house dean, Smith looks forward to deepening his involvement with the undergraduate population.
"Mostly, I'm looking to understand how the house operates, to build an accepting, positive community and lead the house in the directions residents want it to go," Smith said.
Though he received his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Tennessee in 1995, Smith is no stranger to Penn.
He obtained his doctorate in education, culture and society from Penn in 2001, where he was nominated for the Phi Delta Kappa Dissertation Award.
While earning this degree, Smith worked as a graduate associate for Stouffer College House, preparing him for the task now ahead.
"As a GA for Stouffer, I had a great exposure to undergraduate life and a preparation to work with RAs and GAs," he said. "Now I want to deeply understand all the quirks ... and the house personality."
Before his most recent appointment, Smith worked in a variety of programs at Penn.
He also worked as an educational specialist for the Greater Philadelphia High School Partnership from 1999 to 2001.
Smith has been teaching in the Graduate School of Education for six years, and at the moment, he is a lecturer -- an adjunct position that allows him to teach two classes on Penn's campus and one at Bryn Mawr College. The subject matter ranges from American pedagogy to multiculturalism and ethnography.
While his primary experience in the classroom is with graduate students, Smith has also worked with undergraduates in "Cross-Cultural Awareness," a requisite course for the Programs for Awareness in Cultural Education.
The PACE program is a collaboration effort between GSE and the Division of the Vice Provost for University Life. Set up as a peer educator group, PACE is dedicated to increasing understanding and cross-cultural dialogue.
Smith worked as a PACE coordinator for VPUL, as well as an adviser for undergraduates involved in the program.
As Ware College House celebrates the appointment of Smith as its new house dean, other residences are in the process of selecting or reappointing their own deans.
Each appointment lasts three years, after which the deans must have their positions reconfirmed.
"You're looking for someone who has done their job very well," Nichols said of the reappointment process. "Our house deans are extremely hard working. ... They do it because they love" the students.
The process is initiated when a house faculty master receives six letters of reference from staff and students who have worked closely with the dean. However, all members of the house are invited to send in their comments via e-mail.
Along with members of College Houses and Academic Services, the faculty master of the house interviews the candidate and passes on the comments gathered to the Council of Undergraduate Deans for final consideration.
When all all evaluations have been collected, the council makes its decision.
The decision process is made with the residence's structure and personality in mind and varies from house to house.
"The process is very thorough," Nichols said. "It is not a rubber stamp."
