Tanni Hall, associate dean of students, has been appointed interim dean of students while a search is conducted to fill the position being vacated by John L. Ford, Susan Murphy, vice president for student and academic services, announced this week.
Ford, the Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students, is leaving Cornell at the end of the calendar year to become vice president and dean of campus life at Emory University. Hall's interim appointment is effective Jan. 3.
"I am delighted that Tanni has agreed to serve in this capacity until a new dean is appointed," Murphy said. "In the spring of 1999, she served most ably as interim dean of students while John Ford spent a semester as an ACE Fellow at the University of Chicago. I am so grateful for her willingness to assume these responsibilities once again and look forward to the leadership she will provide during this transition."
Hall said she's excited about having the opportunity to serve as interim dean -- again.
"I won't be doing this alone," she said. "The Dean of Students Office has a strong and creative staff who will all pitch in, in a team effort to keep our important work and initiatives moving forward. I look forward to working more closely with the office staff, as well as our colleagues across campus. Also, many people have sent me encouraging and supportive notes of congratulations on my appointment as interim dean, and I want them all to know their kind words mean a lot to me."
Murphy has appointed a search committee, which includes faculty, students and staff. A tenured faculty member will fill the position, and the committee is seeking nominations from members of the community. Nominations/applications can be forwarded to Murphy at 311 Day Hall. Murphy said the committee will convene in December to start the review process, which is expected to proceed expeditiously but could last through the spring semester.
Hall is a 1976 graduate of Cornell's College of Human Ecology. She received her master's degree in education from Elmira College in 1986 and has been a member of the Office of the Dean of Students at Cornell staff since then.
She currently leads the office's efforts in new student programs and student support, including chairing the group of crisis managers. That position involves coordination of university student crisis management and community support teams and administration/supervision of programs including Orientation; EARS (Empathy, Assistance and Referral Service); lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student support and outreach; and Peer Educators in Human Relations. The position involves working closely with the dean on long-range planning and universitywide collaborative efforts for the Office of the Dean of Students.
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