Spring Break
Dean promoted to assistant provost
by Jacob Kamaras
Senior Editor
News | 5/22/07
Posted online at 5:00 AM EST on 5/22/07
To meet the needs of a growing graduate student population, a student life administrator for undergraduates has been moved to graduate student life.
After working closely with undergraduates for the past 24 years, Alwina Bennett will leave her position as assistant dean of student life to fill the role of assistant provost for graduate student affairs.
"Graduate work was the area where it looked like there was the most challenge," Bennett said. "It looked like there was an opportunity to grow."
According to the University's self-study released last September, 1,923 graduate students were enrolled in 2006, compared with 1,803 in 2003.
"We have recognized in the last year or two that there has been a need for more staff support for graduate student services across the University," Provost Marty Krauss said.
Krauss also explained that the New England Association for Schools and Colleges reaccreditation team that visited last November noted a lack of infrastructure of services to keep pace with its ever-changing graduate student body.
"We have a very diverse group of graduate students here," she said. "Many are international [students] and many need special assistance with housing, with understanding how the University works and with providing better coordination about their health services."
Although the exact duties of her new position have yet to be determined, Bennett will work closely with the faculty, graduate students and staff of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the International Business School to strengthen non-academic services for graduate students, Krauss said.
"Graduate students access many of the same student services that undergraduates do, such as the counseling center, the Health Center and campus police," Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said. "If this job were posted, there would be no better candidate because of her knowledge of the services in place for all of our students."
After working closely with undergraduates for the past 24 years, Alwina Bennett will leave her position as assistant dean of student life to fill the role of assistant provost for graduate student affairs.
"Graduate work was the area where it looked like there was the most challenge," Bennett said. "It looked like there was an opportunity to grow."
According to the University's self-study released last September, 1,923 graduate students were enrolled in 2006, compared with 1,803 in 2003.
"We have recognized in the last year or two that there has been a need for more staff support for graduate student services across the University," Provost Marty Krauss said.
Krauss also explained that the New England Association for Schools and Colleges reaccreditation team that visited last November noted a lack of infrastructure of services to keep pace with its ever-changing graduate student body.
"We have a very diverse group of graduate students here," she said. "Many are international [students] and many need special assistance with housing, with understanding how the University works and with providing better coordination about their health services."
Although the exact duties of her new position have yet to be determined, Bennett will work closely with the faculty, graduate students and staff of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Heller School for Social Policy and Management and the International Business School to strengthen non-academic services for graduate students, Krauss said.
"Graduate students access many of the same student services that undergraduates do, such as the counseling center, the Health Center and campus police," Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer said. "If this job were posted, there would be no better candidate because of her knowledge of the services in place for all of our students."
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