Staff News CAMPUS CURRENT Staff News
“We try to provide resources and guidance to help people take the responsibility for
creating both their own educational path and their own personal/social path.”
Providing a support network for students in difficulty is one I was really pleased to find that Harvey Mudd is in excellent
of the core responsibilities of the Dean of Students. People financial shape. Unlike larger institutions that rely more heav-
from my office meet regularly with the Associate Dean of the ily on their endowment, HMC has the financial flexibility to
Faculty for Academic Affairs so that we can coordinate sup- weather this economic situation in good shape. My budget has
port for both the personal and academic aspects of students’ not decreased; in fact, we’ve had some small increases, which
lives. The proctors, seniors who live in the dorms and are are terrific! The DOS staff already do a lot with what we have.
responsible for providing peer support, are incredibly impor- One of my goals this year is going to be to see how we can
tant. They’re our early warning system for students who might maximize the impact of the resources we do have and get dou-
be having difficulties. ble-duty out of anything that we spend. I have a great team of
This year we started a pilot program where “super spon- amazingly creative people who are up to the challenge. If any-
sors” (30-40 students spread throughout the dorms) maintain thing, I think the students will notice that the services improve.
contact with the first-year students throughout the year, not
just during orientation. This program was formulated and pi- HMC students are

N
loted last year by Chris Sundberg, associate dean for student intensely focused on
activities, and Mary Cardenas, associate dean of the faculty. their academic work.
More on Dean Maggie
By enriching the communication on the residential side of the That’s fantastic and I
campus and bringing that together with the academic side, I want to support them
Glad I did it, but wouldn’t do it
again Biked through the Valley of
think that we can create a much richer network of support for in that. But I also
Kings at noon

the students. want to support them





in taking a step back
First job Tech assistant at a very
During my interview for this position I mentioned that, at occasionally and say-
small summer theatre in Ohio
Princeton, I held weekly dinners for students in my home ing, “Is this really (high school)
and that this was something I’d like to do at HMC. The the path for me?
response to this was overwhelmingly positive. So far there Should I take a
What’s on my iPod Black Eyed
have been five dinners at my home with a variety of student course in something
Peas, Caetano Veloso, Lauryn
groups. Some dinners brought together students, DOS staff, totally new? How
Hill, Los Lobos, Nick Drake, Rufus
Wainwright, Scissor Sisters, Spin
and staff from F&M to discuss ways of improving commu- about a semester
Doctors, “This American Life”
nication around dorm-related issues. I think having a com- abroad or a summer
podcasts
fortable, off-campus place to engage in this sort of dialog can internship in a field
really make a difference. that’s outside my
Favorite food Bacon
comfort zone?” It’s
One of the great things about Harvey Mudd is that students important to have
Book I’m reading 21: The Final
have an enormous amount of responsibility both for their a plan, but you also
Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
educational life and their residential life. But it’s not a good need to be flexible
by Patrick O’Brian
idea to give a person responsibility and then leave them hang- and to let your heart
Website I’d recommend
ing. College students are confronted with an enormous num- and your passions
Cuteoverload.com
ber of decisions and choices that they might not have had to take you where you
think about before. No one is going to know how to make need to go.
the right decisions without some backup. So we try to provide
resources and guidance to help people take the responsibility
for creating both their own educational path and their own
personal/social path.
N
Bought it on eBay Perfect pyrite
cube
FALL/WINTER 2009 Harvey Mudd College 11
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