Laura DaRos appointed assistant dean of student affairs for SMFA

Laura DaRos, former associate director for campus life operations, has been appointed assistant dean of student affairs at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA). She will begin her new position on Oct. 3.

As assistant dean of student affairs at the SMFA, DaRos will be in charge of day-to-day operations of the Student Affairs office. She noted that her first priority in the position is to get to know the students and the school itself. DaRos said that her first step will be setting up the Student Affairs office and filling her new staff in the process of addressing the many challenges of the merger between Tufts and the SMFA.

"It's all very new, which is the thing that attracted me to this position because there's the opportunity to kind of create it," DaRos said. "There's a lot of things that are yet to be known so there's a lot of things that we get to figure out as we go along."

Raymond Ou, senior associate dean of student affairs, explained that DaRos' role will be critical during the transition of the SMFA's integration into Tufts.

"Assistant Dean DaRos will nurture the holistic development of SMFA students through thoughtful management and ongoing assessment of co-curricular programs at the SMFA campus," he wrote in an email statement. "During this pivotal transitional year, she will prioritize building trust with key student leaders through the creation of clear communication channels, facilitation of prompt feedback loops for student concerns and investment in understanding and becoming a part of the evolving student culture at the SMFA."

DaRos has worked in the Office for Campus Life since 2007. As associate director she oversaw the daily operation of Mayer Campus Center, including the hiring, training and supervision of student employees. In addition to these duties and others, DaRos served on the SMFA Campus Life transition team. This position included planning orientation logistics, student engagement and campus programs, according to Da Ros.

Tufts announced the acquisition of the SMFA in a Dec. 22 statement after several months of negotiation. The transition of the SMFA to become part of Tufts University began in the summer, and DaRos' appointment was one item on a long to-do list. DaRos will be joining the Dean of SMFA Nancy Bauer, who began her new position on July 1.