Marlys Edwards will conclude her career as Dean of Students and Residential Life and resume teaching as a full-time member of the English department in the fall of 2008. Edwards, who has served in the position for eight years, reapplied for a final two-year contract. Several weeks ago Associate Head of School Becky Sykes informed Edwards that the administration would instead begin a search for a new candidate for the position. As her tenure at Dean of Students comes to a close, Edwards spoke to The Phillipian about the position. “I love the students and the school and I love this job, and that’s the most difficult thing about not being the Dean of Students anymore,” said Edwards. “I’ve broken a lot of molds and that’s sort of who I am. I think change is hard but it’s sometimes necessary.” While faculty members were asked for feedback during Edwards’ re-application process, students were not. Edwards said, “I think students should have been asked. I think it’s important to hear their voice.” According to Sykes, students will be given an opportunity to share their thoughts during the selection of the new Dean. During her time as Dean of Students, Edwards has focused her efforts on improving the residential experience for students and developing other initiatives to enhance student life. “When I moved into Will Hall. . . it became apparent that residential life is the heart of the school and that we really needed to create a home environment for the students,” she said. “It’s important to me that dorms are not institutional, but rather are a home. . . so [since becoming Dean of Students] we’ve marched through dorms with renovations, putting in kitchenettes and creating places where students can gather and spend time together.” “[Edwards] has really improved the training for proctors, prefects, and house counselor training. When they come to school they are more prepared to handle the challenges and new students,” said Chad Green, cluster dean of West Quad North. “There is also a lot more communication between faculty members about students,” he said. “[Edwards] has helped create the Student Alert system which allows faculty members to communicate about problems that students are having in class.” Edwards said, “The Dean of Students really has to work with all students, not just the students who are struggling. You need to make students who are having trouble feel a part of the community. The greatest reward is working with someone who is struggling and helping them to find their place. That makes getting up every morning a joy.” “At the same time, you need to celebrate students,” she said. “I used to put a bag of candy in the mailbox of every student with perfect attendance each term. It’s important to recognize kids who are going through each day putting one foot in front of the other and getting it done. It’s difficult to get recognition unless you are struggling, and so it is really important for us to appreciate students. For example, WPAA, Pot Pourri and The Phillipian— students putting in all that time—they need positive feedback and building that success is essential.” Edwards has high hopes for the incoming Dean of Students but recognizes the demanding nature of the job. “The job is constant. You are always on call and always training people coming in as house counselors and deans. You are going to have to devote that time, and it never stops,” Edwards said. “The most difficult part of the job is having those difficult conversations that need to be had with people about their role in the school when they’re not necessarily meeting the expectations.” Recently Edwards has been involved in planning for the Commons renovations, the new daily attendance system, the One-Card key system and the PACE program. She noted the challenges that remain and issues the incoming dean will need to resolve. “We need to work on our message and how we convey what we stand for,” Edwards said. She also cited the need for improvement in the dorm-based advisor program for Juniors, a senior transition program, global awareness programming, and communication between faculty and students. Edwards will continue next year as a faculty member in the English Department. “I’m very excited to design a Senior elective and spend more time teaching,” said Edwards. Edwards also hopes to coach a sport and is eager to continue living in a dorm. She said, “I am and always have been passionate about the residential program.”
