As Dean Finn prepares to retire, Dr. Favazza has begun the search for her successor. The Saint Anselm community has been greatly affected and benefited from the work Dean Finn has done, and she will be missed by students and faculty alike.

Conversations about Dean Finn’s retirement began in the fall of this school year, and the announcement was made in February. President Favazza began the search for a new dean that same month.

Dr. Favazza remarked on the big shoes that need to be filled with Dean Finn’s retirement. Dr. Favazza continued to say that her contributions to the school have been both large and in a variety of different ways.

With retirement, comes new opportunities to look at the role, according to Dr. Favazza. A part of the hiring process will be to look at the function of the role and ask if it can be improved in any way. Dr. Favazza’s initial thoughts were of the ways Dean Finn will be missed, and change can bring new opportunities.

The hiring process is in full swing. The position was posted internally to the college community. Dr. Favazza hopes that there are internal candidates interested. Internal candidates know how the campus works, the culture, the curriculum, and the systems. External candidates will have to take time to get acquainted with the school, which could make the transition less efficient. Dr. Favazza believes that many staff on campus have the experiences required to be the Dean.

Dr. Favazza is calling the search the “Qualifications Process,” which is a series of conversations and a full day of interviews. The interview, Dr. Favazza hopes, will include students, faculty, administration, and board members. Dr. Favazza wants the hiring process to be thorough.

Dr. Favazza is open to feedback from the different groups in the hiring process. Although he hopes for an internal candidate, he would be willing to look at an external candidate. Dr. Favazza brought up the point that an external candidate can also bring value to the hilltop. These values could bring new experiences and new perspectives. Dr. Favazza, however, believes a person with previous St. A’s experience would bring more benefit, as they understand the students already.

During the hiring process, Dr. Favazza is looking for specific qualities in a candidate. These qualities include student engagement experience, management skills, supervision experience, and people skills. Dr. Favazza would also like the candidate to have around 10-15 years of experience working in higher education. Candidates, according to Dr. Favazza, should have an advanced degree and experience with student development.

The candidates will most likely be selected by early to mid-April and the hiring process, in full, should be completed at the end of April. Dr. Favazza also mentioned that there could be other factors that could hold the decision to a later date, but hopes for the end of April as a goal.

As with his “Vision 2030,” Dr. Favazza is looking for a candidate committed to the Catholic implemented tradition of the college and someone who will work for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

To reiterate, the position is the Vice President for Student Affairs, which is the dual role of the Dean of Students. The Dean of Students, and Vice President, this person sits on the S.A.L.T team and oversees campus ministry, the multicultural center, all of Residence Life, and Campus Safety and Security. That is why Dr. Favazza thinks someone needs to have a lot of experience to manage the position.

Dr. Favazza truly believes that Saint Anselm College will miss Dean Finn. Dean Finn’s calm, professional perspective brought so much counseling to her role because understands student development. Dr. Favazza remarked that Dean Finn is the voice of the students. Her work with SGA and student advocacy has affected many students and her contributions were extensive.

Dr. Favazza said, “She’s been an incredible counselor to me… someone who I rely on helping get a better understanding…she is a really important voice for me, as President, so I think that we’ll miss her.”

Dr. Favazza wants to remind the community that this is an important transition and a very important hire, and he wants to make sure he gets it right. The hiring process has been very thorough because he wants the decision to be a good and effective one.