Kathryn Lively Announces Resignation as Dean of the College

Kathryn Lively has announced that she is stepping down as Dean of the College, effective on June 30, 2021. Kathryn served three years as Dartmouth's senior officer responsible for undergraduate academic and co-curricular life. A Professor of Sociology and a Dartmouth faculty member since 2002, Kathryn has overseen the work of the Division of Student Affairs as Dean of the College since 2018. We have identified a search firm to help select an interim dean. I expect to communicate with the campus community later this summer about the process for appointing Kathryn's successor.

I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Division of Student affairs in the months ahead.

During her tenure, Kathryn has provided direction on a broad range of student experiences on campus. She has been involved in strategic planning for the renovation and building of new residence halls, financial aid, and for student inclusivity and diversity issues. She worked closely with past Student Assembly leaders to address food insecurity on campus, continued her predecessor's work on developing the now six-year-old House Communities, expanded support for first-generation low-income students, and worked closely with the Office of Student Accessibility Services to improve the user experience of both students and faculty. Under her leadership, and through her ongoing advocacy, staffing for Dartmouth's mental health services increased by over 50%.

Notably, Kathryn's time as dean included leading Student Affairs during the

COVID-19 pandemic. Under her guidance, student services and programs operated both in person and remotely--including enhanced winter, spring, and summer programming--all of which offered important opportunities for social connection and community building.

Kathryn has served as a member of the President's and Provost's leadership teams and chaired the search committee for the College's newly appointed Director of Safety and Security.

During her tenure as dean, Kathryn has been particularly focused on promoting student success in the context of the College's mission to educate the most promising students for a lifetime of learning and responsible leadership. While most of her time as Dean was consumed by leading the Division of Student Affairs in implementing the College's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she will return to her longer-term goals in the classroom and beyond as she resumes her teacher-scholar role at Dartmouth.

We are grateful for all that Kathryn has accomplished. I know I speak for colleagues across campus when I say that Kathryn has been a pleasure to work with during her time as dean.

Kathryn has asked me to share how proud she is of the work her team has done to better integrate the College's educational mission into student life and was particularly inspired by their unflagging and tireless efforts to support students this past year, despite unprecedented and extraordinary challenges.

"The work of the Dean of the College office is essential to Dartmouth's mission," Kathryn noted. "As a faculty member, it was humbling to learn how dedicated and how talented our student affairs professionals are. I have never in my life seen people work so hard and with such passion. The opportunity these three years have provided to work with this amazing group of people for the direct benefit of our students during such a difficult time will undoubtedly be a high point in my career here at the College."

Kathryn has also shared that she is looking forward to returning to the classroom and her research. "One of the things I have missed the most is the open exchange of ideas with students in the classroom and having the opportunity to watch them develop into independent scholars and critical thinkers. Although I will miss working directly with student leaders on more practical problems related to community life, I'm excited to return to the classroom, after a sabbatical."

David Kotz '86
Interim Provost