Updates from Student Affairs and Campus Life

Hello,

I’m writing today to share information about some changes to the leadership structure of the Division of Student Affairs. The departure earlier this summer of former Associate Vice President Erik Muurisepp, a key member of the Student Affairs team, has offered the opportunity to realign some portions of the division leadership structure.

Our division’s mission statement emphasizes our goal to prepare and support students in college and beyond. Our value statement further identifies the importance of reducing barriers, creating opportunities, enriching the environment, and enhancing belonging for our students. To best meet these goals, we are aligning the division within work teams to focus on student support, student identity and belonging, campus living and student engagement, and student well-being. The reorganization designates lines of direct supervision, but it will be important to recognize that the cross-functional connections between staff in various work teams are critical to our ability to best support students and ultimately meet the objectives outlined in our mission and values.  

Despite the changes described below, the paths to contact and interact with members of the Student Affairs staff will not change. It just might be a different person responding. The organizational changes described below will take effect as of September 1, 2023.

Chris Daly will serve as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. Now in her 10th year at the College, Chris began her tenure as the founding director of the Office of Student Success before joining the Division of Student Affairs three years ago. Chris will serve as the lead for the teams working in the areas of student support and student identity and belonging. In addition to serving as the division budget manager, Chris will provide leadership to the following areas:

• Intercultural Student Affairs
• Spiritual Life
• Student Accessibility Services
• Student Care & Support
• Student Transitions & Family Programs
  • New Student Orientation
  • Off Campus Student Services
  • Parent & Family Programs
• Information, Marketing & Communications

• Individuals seeking support should continue to utilize the Care Out Loud section of the College website. The ConcernCenter and Share a Concern sections might be particularly helpful. Students living off campus can find helpful resources at the Off-Campus Student Services site. If you have not already seen it, take a look at the multifaith holiday calendar created by Spiritual Life. It links easily to your Google calendar, and is a helpful way to keep different holidays and religious observations in mind.

Brandin Dear will serve as the Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Director of the Emerson Wellness Center. Brandin, who joined Emerson just over two years ago in 2021, will continue supervising the recently created Emerson Wellness Center and provide leadership to teams focusing on student well-being.  In addition, Brandin will take on division-level projects and provide case management and direction for students in conjunction with Student Care and Support.  The Emerson Wellness Center includes:

• Counseling Services
• Health Services
• Community Health and Engagement 
• Wellness and Health Promotion

• You might recall that last spring, the Wellness Center launched the EmWell Hub, a valuable resource for students providing helpful and direct access to a multitude of mental health resources.

Christie Anglade will serve as the Associate Dean for Campus Life. Christie joined the Emerson staff in 2019. In addition to acting as the lead for the campus living and student engagement teams, she will serve as the division’s coordinator for emergency and crisis response and the primary liaison with facilities services, dining, and other auxiliary services. Many students might find that Christie and the teams she leads are those they come into contact with most directly on a daily basis.

• Housing & Residential Education
• Student Engagement & Leadership
  • Campus Centers
• Community Standards

• Danielle Merrill will now serve as the Director of Housing & Residential Education. 

• You can find information on room reservations on Spacebook, and EmConnect is a key hub for all things student organization-related. Students living on campus can always find helpful information on the student housing portal.

Searches will begin shortly for a new Assistant Director for Residential Education and a Student Affairs Marketing & Information Specialist.

In this new structure, Chris, Brandin, and Christie will report to me, along with Associate Dean for Campus Life and Director of Athletics Steph Smyrl, Director of the Career Development Center Carol Spector, and Executive Assistant Paula Mangiaratti. I will also continue supervising Associate Vice President for Equal Opportunity Sonia Jurado and Associate Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Emerson Los Angeles Tim Chang. 

As with any organizational change, it will take some time to establish new patterns fully, but please know all of us in the Division of Student Affairs are committed to providing a seamless transition of services. We’re here to support students and the faculty and staff who provide the Emerson experience.

Take care and all the best as we get ready for the start of the fall semester.  A big thanks to everyone who has contributed to the success of move-in and orientation. We’re looking forward to a good weekend of events and athletic competitions.  Stay tuned next week for Back To Boylston events and the Org Fair next Friday, September 8.

Jim Hoppe
Vice President & Dean for Campus Life