Mary Liscinsky, who has been acting associate dean of residential life since last summer, will now move up to serve as Acting Dean of Residential Life until a permanent replacement can be found, Dean of the College Lee Pelton announced yesterday.
Current Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco, whose last day at the College is tomorrow, announced last week she will resign to finish two books she is writing.
The search for a permanent replacement for Turco will begin after a new dean of the College is found, Pelton said.
Pelton announced in January he will resign this summer to assume the presidency at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. James Wright, who will succeed College President James Freedman beginning Aug. 1, told The Dartmouth on Monday he planned to get a search underway for a new dean of the College this week.
Pelton said he assumes the College will nationally advertise the open position of dean of residential life. A search committee and committee chair will probably be appointed and conduct interviews, he said.
"I assume that the College will want a permanent dean [of residential life] selected no later than the summer of 1999," he said.
Liscinsky said she is very excited about her new position.
The Office of Residential Life has "such a wonderful staff of both professionals and students," she said. She added that the office was in a good position to continue the work Turco had started.
Liscinsky said she has no plans to "start anything overwhelming" during her tenure as acting dean of residential life.
However, there are several issues ORL has to address immediately, especially life safety improvements, including new fire exits and stairwells, in the residence halls, she said.
"We can't wait a long time to make the halls safe," she said.
As acting dean, Liscinsky will continue to make decisions on a regular basis along with her staff, she said.
Any major decisions ORL makes under Liscinsky's auspices will follow ORL standard procedure of involving student input in the process, she said.
"I don't see a need for any significant changes right now," she said. She added that with a new dean of the College and a new residential life dean on the way, it is "good to move carefully."
Liscinsky said she wants ORL to "stay on the same road" it has been on under Turco.
Liscinsky joined ORL as an area director in 1989. She served in that capacity until 1992, when she left to work at the Living/Learning Center at Indiana University. While working at Indiana, she served on a contingent to the University of the Witswatersrand in South Africa.
In 1996, Liscinsky returned to Dartmouth as assistant dean of residential life in charge of residential education because she "missed the environment here," she said. She referred to the atmosphere of the College as "challenging, interesting and motivated." She was appointed assistant dean of residential life that year.
Last summer, when Associate Dean of Residential Life Bud Beatty resigned, Liscinsky became acting associate dean. Former Area Director Chris Chambers became assistant dean.
