Marisel Perez became Tufts' third associate dean of students in as many years this summer. The University chose Perez after a year-long search process that involved more than 70 applicants.
Until June 2000, Reitman held the position himself, when Lisa Smith-McQueenie became the interim associate dean.
The committee searched for "someone who is flexible in a day-to-day routine, because, in that position, you can be working on one type of emergency one day and a different type the next," said Dean of Students Bruce Reitman, who chaired the committee. The group also included representatives from the administration and Tufts University Police Department along with graduate and undergraduate students.
The associate dean is responsible for working on diversity issues within the student and faculty populations, assisting in the judicial affairs process, and answering general questions from faculty, students, and parents concerning student life and services. Perez also works with Residential Life and sits on several campus committees.
Perez said she has done "lots of learning" since she arrived at Tufts. She is chair of the search committee for a new director of Residential Life and coordinating a dialogue series with students and the Dean of Students Office. She is also developing a Bias Response Team and a Bias Education Team and working with Residential Life and the Group of Six - a collection of culture centers and the Women's Center.
More than four weeks into the semester, Perez has already faced several challenges: on the second night of orientation, she was the one to respond to a hate incident in South Hall. Although she is still learning about the Tufts community, Perez has already identified ways to bridge her office with students.
"One of my immediate goals is to get involved whenever possible with student leadership and student groups - to broaden the link between [the] Dean of Students [office] and the student community," she said.
Perez also plans to work with Residential Life on training and programming modules and with the University's culture houses.
The search committee required a candidate with a degree in higher education and significant experience working in student services. Perez received an undergraduate degree in psychology and biology from Suffolk University and a master's of education in counseling psychology from Boston University. She has worked in higher education for the past 20 years, most recently at Boston College as the associate director of African-American, Hispanic, Asian and Native American (AHANA) student programs.
