The national search for a new director of financial aid is underway as a committee of seven seeks suitable candidates to replace former director Michael Bartini.
Bartini, a strong proponent of the University's need-blind admission policy, left the University on Aug. 31 to work for the College Board as its senior vice president for enrollment systems and management. Bartini worked at the College Board for over 15 years prior to joining the University in 1998.
The committee, which was appointed by Provost David Kertzer '69 P'95 P'98, is chaired by Dean of Admission Jim Miller '73.
Miller said committee members were sought from various areas of the University and represent offices with which the director of financial aid interacts on a daily basis.
The committee hopes to finish its work by the end of the academic year, Miller said, though he acknowledged the timeline "is sort of a function of how quickly the candidates will emerge."
"We want to make sure that we take our time and get the best person we can rather than try to resolve it quickly," Miller said.
The search for a new director is not limited to someone already at the University but is open to candidates nationwide, Miller said.
"It's a critical, critical position for the institution," Miller said. "It manages multi-million dollars worth of University resources. We are in the fourth year of a need-blind admissions program which requires a great deal of careful thought."
"There are lots of national issues coming up around financial aid that will be important for us to be able to deal with," Miller said, citing "questions about national competition" and "how Brown can compete for the best students in financial aid in the need-based system."
The listing for the position on the University's Web site refers to the director as "the primary spokesperson for Brown regarding financial policy and practice." It calls for someone who can demonstrate "leadership in establishing and interpreting financial aid policies, in setting criteria for the awarding of financial aid, and in developing strategies to assist students and families within the context of Brown University's policies of need-based aid and need-blind undergraduate admissions."
In addition to Miller, committee members include Michael Goldberger, director of athletics and former director of admission; Karen McLaurin '74, associate dean of the College and director of the Third World Center; Susan Howitt '80, associate vice president for budget and planning; Margaret Klawunn, associate vice president for campus life and dean of student life; Vincent Tompkins '84, deputy provost; and Michael White, professor of sociology.
Tompkins stressed the need to find someone who can relate to financial aid recipients and their families on a personal level - "somebody who, as I think Mike Bartini was, understands that this is only partly about numbers, but also very much about important life decisions that students and families are making," Tompkins said.
For Tompkins, the most important aspect of the University's current financial aid policy is need-blind admission, and a new director must be "someone who endorses and understands the University's commitment to need-blind admissions and the financial aid system that flows from that."
Miller echoed this concern, saying, "We are a little rare in the institutional world in the fact that all of our money is need-based. We don't have merit scholarships or athletic scholarships. We are also pretty rare in that we have a need-blind admissions program and that we meet full need. We need someone who understands the sophistication of those particular processes."
According to Miller, other qualifications for candidacy include the ability to oversee the transition to the Banner database system, a move that is already underway in the Office of Financial Aid.
Susan Farnum, associate director of financial aid, is serving as interim director of financial aid. According to Miller, Farnum is doing a "wonderful job" in what has been a "seamless transition" over the past month.
