Appreciation for the Deans of Faculty Office

The always warming and welcoming Deans of Faculty (DOF) Office is often overlooked on campus. However, it is actually a very valuable part of our community. The DOF Office’s primary job is to manage and organize the faculty members on campus. Thus, not only do they hold great power within the Loomis Chaffee community, but it is also composed of three very motivated faculty individuals who strive to help other faculty do their jobs to their best ability. The three individuals include Deans of Faculty Andrew Matlack, Administrative Assistant Diane Oates, and Associate Dean of Faculty Elizabeth Leyden.
The three of them work closely together with all the administrators in Founders Hall. While their job does have a cyclical nature to it, Ms. Leyden said that “still, everyday is different in its own way. However, we do meet with a lot of people around campus. Meeting and working with the faculty, administrators, and the Deans of Faculty Office is in fact my favorite part about this job. I love being part of a team that serves the faculty and lets them do what they do well.”
While the DOF’s main task involves interacting with various people, the reason behind why they do this is to accomplish their broader goals. Ms. Leyden laid their exact duties and goals out very well. “The Deans of Faculty office works to advance and support the school’s mission. Specifically though, we are involved in the hiring, training, evaluation and support of the faculty,” Ms. Leyden said. Clearly, the DOF is very much faculty-focused, hence the name. Furthermore, in order to support the school’s mission, the office communicates with the faculty on academic policies and programs. Not only are they involved with the hiring process for teaching faculty, but they also teach faculty evaluations, conduct new faculty orientation, and educate the faculty on co-curricular assignments. In other words, the DOF holds a lot of choice regarding who gets hired, stays, or leaves. Additionally, “the DOF attends All-Faculty meetings every Friday where they give announcements and presentations that are relevant to teaching and the administrative faculty”, Ms. Leyden said. Aside from the teaching and education aspect of school, the DOF is also involved with the support of staffing on Pelican Days as well.
Ultimately, the DOF Office is filled with collaborative people who aim to support the faculty and the education of the students of Loomis to their best abilities. Thus, while many students may not know much about the DOF Office, we should all take a moment to appreciate their hard work and daily efforts.