With a new school year, a new freshman class and newly renovated spaces, DePauw is keeping with the theme by bringing in new administrative leadership.
Some members of DePauw’s faculty and staff, including VP for Admission and Financial Aid Dan Meyer, Dean of Faculty Terri Bonebright and Coordinator of Fraternity Life PJ Mitchell, among others, came across other opportunities in recent months, causing the school to offer the positions to other DePauw members and bring new faces to campus.
“It was really a great opportunity for him [Meyer],” new VP of Admission and Financial Aid Cindy Babington said at an Aug. 19 meeting, adding that the other departing members of DePauw’s community will be missed as well.
While there were many changes, some of them include Cara Setchell as the dean of students, Kate Smanik as assistant dean of students for spirituality, service and social justice, Tracey Machtan as director of fraternity and sorority life, Carrie Klouse as dean of faculty, Jonathan Nichols-Pethick as the director of the Media Fellows program, Michelle Villinski as director of the McDermond Center and director of Management Fellows and Cindy Babington as the VP of admission and financial aid.
New Director of the Janet Prindle Institute for Ethics and Associate Professor of Philosophy Andy Cullison is one of the new members of DePauw’s administration this year, though the ’01 graduate is not unfamiliar with the inner workings of the university. He said he is looking forward to seeing how the school has grown and changed since he was a student here.
“Part of the exciting part is just being back on campus. It’s really exciting to be back at DePauw,” Cullison said. “I was sold when I was a freshman on the value of a high quality liberal arts education, and I’m even more sold on that now, and I’m really exited to be a part of that again.”
While Cullison is new to DePauw as a faculty member, he said the fact that many of the positions were taken by people who already worked at DePauw will be beneficial in that those who now inhabit the higher positions already know DePauw.
“A lot of the changes are involving people who I think are intimately familiar with the culture of DePauw, the history of DePauw, they know what DePauw is all about, and I think that’s a good thing,” he said, “so I think we might see changes, but if we see changes I think we’re going to see well-informed changes, changes that are brought about by people that have a kind of deep love for this institution and they know what its about.”
“I just feel like morale is really high… I’m very excited about the direction of DePauw at the moment and I think the institute has potential to do really exciting things, and I think there are good opportunities for collaboration with the institute and the other programs that DePauw is already very strong in, and I’m just optimistic and really excited for what the future holds.”
He is not alone in his thinking. At the Aug. 19 meeting, new Student Life Vice President Christopher Wells spoke out about his excitement about what these changes will do for DePauw.
“I’m very lucky,” he said. “I have administrator Bingo now.”