By Lindsay LaChapelle | Campus Life Editor –
The dining hall and Starbucks coffee station are not the only new additions to Miley Hall this year; the building also includes the Center for Student Development, Salve’s latest program dedicated to student success and a comprehensive four-year experience initiative.
Located at the garden level of Miley Hall, the Center for Student Development consists of several new programs. First, the Center houses the Class Deans who will serve as the “faces” of the classes they represent. The Class Deans are Salve Regina faculty members whose objective is to advocate for students and ensure their success beyond the classroom.
Dr. Jayme Hennessy, Dean of the Class of 2016 and Associate Professor of Religious and Theological Studies, is excited to get to know the students she will represent. According to Dr. Hennessy, her goal is “to be the person who listens to students and helps bring the university into dialogue with them so that they will be more successful in shaping their lives and experience at Salve.” Hennessy envisions the Center for Student Development and the Class Dean Program as ways to encourage students to address important questions such as, “Who I am, who do I want to become, and how am I going to get to my goals?”
In addition to Dr. Hennessy, the Class Deans include Professor of Education, Dr. Martha M. Rose as the Dean for the Class of 2017 and Dr. J.D. Swanson, Assistant Professor of Biology and Biomedical Sciences, as the Dean for the Class of 2015. The Class Deans will travel with their respective classes from freshmen to senior year and serve as the keynote speakers at their class’s convocation ceremony.
The second component of the Center for Student Development is the Experience Program. The Center features Experience Directors for each class level. Ducha Hang, Assistant Vice President for Student Development, will serve as the First Year Experience Director; J. Malcolm Smith, Dean of Students, will direct the Sophomore Year Experience; Adrianne Taylor, Director of Student Transitions, will lead the Junior Year Experience; and Donna Cook, Assistant Provost for Academic Administration, will manage the Senior Year Experience.
Experience directors are responsible for creating programs tailored to each level of learning from the application process and matriculation to the alumni years. According to Hang, the Center for Student Development plans to devote the first year to researching the kinds of programs that students are interested in seeing.
During this research process, student feedback is imperative. “We want to speak to what the students want,” says Hang. Throughout the year, the Experience Directors and Class Deans will work to create focus groups that concentrate on student prospective.
“Bring your coffee, bring your laptop and come hang out,” says Ducha Hang. Hang suggests that although the set-up of the Center may be deceiving, appointments are not necessary. The lobby of the office is meant to be another lounge space where students can study and get to know their peers. She says that the Center for Student Development is designed for students to “pop” in and introduce themselves to the Class Deans and Experience Directors. Hang also urges students to make connections with the faculty and to share their experiences at Salve. After all, the Center is dedicated to maximizing student input and creating programs that cater to student needs.
Hang is enthusiastic about the future of the Center for Student Development. As the Center advances, Hang hopes to see “a hub of different mentoring and a place where students can actively participate in their learning.”
