An understanding of Brown's student culture and leadership skills will be a key criterion in the search for a permanent vice president for campus life and student services, President Ruth Simmons told The Herald on Friday.
The Corporation's campus life committee identified these priorities for the position during its meeting earlier this month, Simmons said, adding that she "certainly agrees with them."
Simmons appointed Russell Carey '91 MA'06 as interim vice president for campus life and student services in the fall of 2006, when David Greene left the position to become vice president for strategic initiatives at the University of Chicago. As Carey's two-year term nears its end, the University is beginning a national search for a permanent candidate for the position.
Campus life is in an "unusual period," Simmons said, because many ongoing University initiatives include construction, renovations and other projects that rely heavily on facilities, yet affect campus life. The Office of Student Life's "huge agenda" will require a candidate with strong leadership abilities and "the breadth of ability to tackle all of that and to get it done," Simmons said.
But leadership and ability are only part of the picture, Simmons said. The head of campus life must also understand Brown's culture.
"If you bring somebody from a university that is quite different, they might not know what to make of Brown," Simmons said. "It is different from other places, and I would charge the committee to look very carefully at the sensibility of the individual."
Brown students have more agency than students at many other universities, Simmons said, adding that there is "much less baby-sitting at Brown."
"Other vice presidents for campus life see their job as keeping students in check," Simmons said. "What's important for us is seeing students more as peers than as children."
Simmons said she has heard "very positive comments" about Carey's work over the past year. Carey has not commented on whether he will apply for the position.
Several administrators, including Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Dean for Student Life Margaret Klawunn, were appointed to their positions after serving interim terms. But the national search process is important even when an internal candidate may be considered, Simmons said.
"If an internal candidate is the top candidate, they will rise to the top," Simmons said. "Their credibility will be enhanced by the fact that they competed against candidates from a national pool."
The Undergraduate Council of Students and the Faculty Executive Committee will appoint members to the search committee in the next several weeks, Simmons said. The committee should be ready to advertise the position by the end of the semester, leaving "ample time" to make an appointment by April, Simmons said.
