Harvard University's Interim Director of Advising Programs Inge-Lise Ameer has been appointed the first Associate Dean of the College for Student Support Services, according to Acting Dean of the College Sylvia Spears. Ameer who co-founded Harvard's student advising program will oversee the undergraduate deans, Career Services, the Office of Pluralism and Leadership, the Academic Skills Center and Student Accessibility Services upon assuming her position Aug. 16, according to Spears.
As the Associate Dean for Student Support Services, Ameer will fill a new position that was created as part of an administrative restructuring that aimed to make the administration more cohesive, The Dartmouth reported in April.
One of Ameer's main priorities upon arriving at the College will be to implement changes to the College advising system, according to Spears. The reformed advising system will include student advisors available in one centralized location, Spears said.
Ameer will begin planning alternative advising structures "almost the minute that [she] hits the ground in Hanover," according to Spears. The new system, however, will likely not be implemented until next summer, Spears said.
"I would anticipate that staff would start collaborating over the next academic year, but it won't be until next year before people can be in the same space," she said.
Ameer said she intends to "get as much information as possible" about the needs of Dartmouth students and faculty before instituting any sweeping changes.
"This is a new position, so I want to get to know what people's hopes for the position are, their goals, what the challenges are," Ameer said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "It's really important for me always to get to know a place and to meet the people, so that will be a big portion of how I spend the beginning of my time."
Ameer will also serve as a member of Spears' senior leadership team and collaborate with Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life April Thompson on a "range of student activities," Spears said.
Ameer will also study institutional data regarding student academic performance trends at the College to determine factors necessary for academic success, according to Spears.
The College conducted a national search for the associate dean position that began earlier this year, Spears said. The committee which was chaired by director of Safety and Security Harry Kinne assembled an applicant pool of approximately 65 candidates through advertisements in the Chronicle of Higher Ed and other various listservs.
Although Ameer's background in advising was important, it was not the only factor in the College's decision process, Spears said.
"[Ameer] brought lots of strengths and talents beyond that particular set of expertise," she said. "But the fact that she was one of the key players in creating the advising at Harvard means that she has the skill and can reorganize in a creative way."
Ameer attributed her decision to accept the College's offer to a "great feeling about campus" after travelling to Dartmouth for a series of interviews, she said.
"Dartmouth [seems like] a place that [is] really concerned about its undergraduates," Ameer said. "The whole idea of bringing together the different services can do nothing but serve students better."
While at Harvard, Ameer worked with a committee to assess and suggest recommendations to improve the University's advising system. She then worked with Harvard's former Associate Dean of Advising Programs Monique Rinere to implement the changes, Harvard's former Dean of the College David Pilbeam said.
In her 25 years at Harvard, Ameer also served as the assistant dean of the Advising Programs Office and was known by students as a "knowledgeable" advisor, according to Pilbeam.
Spears said that Ameer's arrival demonstrates that the College is "making progress."
"Having [Ameer] in the position is one of the most important puzzle pieces because now we can really begin under her leadership to move the academic support reorganization forward," Spears said.
The next position to be filled will likely be the Director of Administration, a position that will "do the things that require an organization to stay healthy and make progress on time and on target," Spears said.
"It's a newly configured group of responsibilities," she said. "We had a special assistant to the Dean [of the College] in the past and an executive officer in the past, and then an associate dean who did a lot of project-based work, and we're bringing them into one position."
The College has completed its internal search process for the Director of Administration and will likely announce a selection in the upcoming weeks, Spears said.
