Who does what
March 31, 2022
As we begin our series on transitions at Macalester, we believed it would be useful to outline who makes various decisions at the college. This is a brief overview; it is not a complete list, but it is a place to start for an idea of who does what.
President
President Suzanne Rivera started her time at Macalester in June of 2020, amidst a time of crisis, both worldwide and in the Twin Cities. As President, Rivera is responsible for fundraising, attending planning committee meetings and meeting with donors and alumni. She also travels to raise the visibility of the school and to improve its image.
Board of Trustees
The board of trustees is a body that sets the college’s broad policy and fundraising, oversees financial affairs and investments and approves or denies the president’s tenure decisions. The board also hires the president. As of September 2021, the chair of the board of trustees is Carrie Killoran ’94.
Executive Vice President and Provost
Dr. Lisa Anderson-Levy began as Macalester’s executive vice president and provost in July 2021. Working closely with the president, Anderson-Levy oversees and communicates with many of the college’s deans, department coordinators and faculty to support academic and financial affairs, as well as professional development and leadership. She helps shape the vision for the college and also emphasizes the inclusion of both academic and co-curricular affairs to create an integrated experience.
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Dr. Kathryn Kay Coquemont is the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students. She started this position in January 2022. Coquemont’s role involves supporting and representing Macalester students’ needs and experiences by connecting with them one-on-one, regularly meeting with student organizations and attending student events. Residential life, the Hamre Center, athletics and the Office of Student Leadership and Engagement all report to student affairs.
Dean of the Faculty
Tom Halverson is the Dean of the Faculty, a new position that was split from the position of the provost following the end of Karine Moe’s term as provost and dean of the faculty. Halverson is responsible for oversight of the faculty hiring process, appointment and support of department chairs and curriculum evaluation. The role was created with the intention of establishing a link between the faculty and administration to communicate the thoughts of each group to the other.
Dean of Career Exploration
John Mountain, who filled the position in January 2022, serves as the Interim Dean of Career Exploration. Mountain is responsible for overseeing career advisors and alumni coordinators, and the Career Exploration department as a whole as it aims to support students in finding internship and job opportunities and pursuing career-related initiatives.
Director of the Hamre Center
Since January 2022, Jen Jacobsen has served as the Executive Director of the Laurie Hamre Center for Health and Wellness after leaving her position in Health Promotion and Sexual Respect, which remains vacant. The Hamre Center works to create a community built upon the values of education, care and connection. The Hamre Center provides numerous resources to Macalester students, which include medical, counseling and disability services, as well as opportunities for health promotion and sexual violence prevention education.
Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The new position of Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was first announced last spring; Alina Wong filled the role in January 2022. Wong, who previously worked in the Department of Multicultural Life from 2008-2012, wants to use the position to foster collaboration between departments and to increase resources where students and faculty can learn about the work others are doing.
Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship
The current Dean of the Institute for Global Citizenship (IGC) is Interim Dean Paul Overvoorde, who held the position as interim from 2016-2017. Previous dean Donna Maeda retired last fall; there are currently no plans to hire a new dean for the IGC, as the administration is waiting until the strategic planning process concludes to make changes to the position and make a hire. Ruth Janisch and Sedric McClure have recently been named Associate Deans for the IGC and Co-Directors of the Center for Civic Engagement. The IGC is responsible for the Center for Study Away and International Student Programs to cultivate internationalism and multiculturalism as tenets of the Macalester community.
Director for Residential Life
Kyle Flowers, who holds the position of associate director for Residential Life, is currently serving as the Interim Director for Residential Life and has held this position since December 2021. Flowers took over from Marian Aden; Aden had also been serving in an interim capacity since September, meaning this position has seen three interim directors this year. Flowers’ role functions as a primary point of support and contact for residential students, and as a supervisor of Residential Life staff, especially as the department searches for additional hires.
Department of Multicultural Life
Marjorie Trueblood serves as the dean of Multicultural Life, where she oversees a staff that creates programming for social justice initiatives and community-building that aim to affirm and support students from all backgrounds including queer, BIPOC, first-generation and or undocumented students.
