UR will welcome Morgan Levy as an assistant to the office of the Dean of Students. After a long search process, with collaboration from both administrators and students, Levy was offered the position and will officially assume the role on Oct. 13.
On Oct. 26, 2007, Jody Asbury, former dean of students, stepped down from office.
Matthew Burns, then the associate dean, assumed the role of acting dean on Oct. 29, 2007 as well as that of the assistant dean while Student Services Coordinator Matthew Srodawa served as the interim judicial coordinator.
The search committee, in the mean time, processed applications and interviewed candidates for the position.
Chaired by Associate Dean of Students Anne-Marie Algier, the committee included Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Monica Miranda Smalls, Dean of Freshmen Marcy Kraus, Associate Director of Residential Life and Assistant Dean of Freshmen Dan Watts and Speaker of the Students’ Association Senate and senior Harrell Kirstein.
Since the assistant dean works closely with and significantly impacts the student body, students representing diverse groups were also involved in group interviews.
On the student committee selecting the new dean were students representing the Students’ Association, such as Deputy Speaker of the Senate and junior Kierstin Hughes and Senator and senior Alvin Lomibao. Other students included former All-Campus Judicial Council Head Justice and senior Sam Lehman, current ACJC Head Justice and senior Scott Group, among others.
This search committee collectively reviewed all internal and external applications and interviewed four potential candidates.
Levy has worked as assistant dean at Columbia University and in a previous role as assistant director at New York University highlight her previous experience before coming to UR.
‘She is very confident, knowledgeable and has just the right sense of demeanor and responsibility,” Algier said.
Kirstein commented on her unique sense of fairness and consistency and appreciated how her principles coincided with UR’s mission of being educative rather than punitive. Having received such positive reviews about her, Burns and the search committee were convinced of her potential, and Levy was officially hired as the new assistant dean.
She will be responsible for counseling, mediating and bringing creative approaches to serious, debatable student issues. She will also work closely with ACJC. Burns said he is confidently looking forward to an increase in restorative justice programs and an overall positive change.
‘Getting to know her during the process of selection has been a surreal experience,” Burns said. ‘I am excited to work with her soon.”
Rath is a member of the class of 2012.
