Corey Kelly (Caitlin Cunningham)
When Boston College Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Corey Kelly and her Student Affairs colleagues hold their weekly meetings, the discussion typically ranges from big-picture, program-oriented issues to more everyday topics.
鈥淎nything that becomes popular in college student culture鈥攏ew technology, new apps, new recreational activities鈥攊s of interest to us. These have an effect on students鈥� day-to-day life, and thus become part of their Boston College experience. It鈥檚 just a good idea for us to be aware of such trends and to share our impressions and observations about them.鈥�
It is this holistic view of student life that informs the work of Kelly and her colleagues, and which has been emphasized in a recent reorganization of the Student Affairs division by Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead. 聽
The initiative involved reestablishing the dean of students position and consolidating four Student Affairs offices or functions in that administrative area: Student Support, Disabilities, Student Conduct, and Off-Campus Life. Kelly, who has served in several capacities at 蝌蚪直播 since 2011鈥攎ost recently as associate dean of students and director of student conduct鈥攚as appointed to her new position in June. Tom Mogan, the former associate VP for student engagement and formation鈥攁nd who had previously held the title of dean of students until it was discontinued in 2019鈥攊s now an interim associate dean of the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences.
Among other objectives, this reorganization aims to emphasize the multifaceted role of the Dean of Students office beyond its disciplinary function, according to Kelly.
鈥淲e want to be able to address challenges, concerns, and campus or student incidents as comprehensively and effectively as possible. More than that, though, we want to be in tune with the 蝌蚪直播 student experience, and to be proactive in building a community and a robust culture of care that reflects the University鈥檚 educational and formational values.鈥�
These shared, bedrock values include being accountable for one鈥檚 decisions, Kelly said, and part of her office鈥檚 charge is to help students make appropriate choices鈥攁nd to take ownership of their actions if they don鈥檛.
鈥淪tudent conduct is an area where we can offer support, not simply issue conduct sanctions,鈥� she explained. 鈥淎 student struggling with University rules and guidelines is often indicative of a larger issue, and DOS will work with our partners across 蝌蚪直播 to find answers and provide resources.鈥�
“We want to be able to address challenges, concerns, and campus or student incidents as comprehensively and effectively as possible. More than that, though, we want to be in tune with the 蝌蚪直播 student experience, and to be proactive in building a community and a robust culture of care that reflects the University鈥檚 educational and formational values.”
For Kelly and her colleagues, that means engaging with Residential Life personnel, for example, and faculty as well as staff who are in contact with students on a regular basis. 鈥淲e鈥檙e doing a lot more to educate faculty and staff on striking a balance: being respectful of students鈥� privacy while also passing along concerns they may have鈥攑erhaps something in a student鈥檚 paper that may raise an alarm, or other behaviors they鈥檝e observed that are disquieting.鈥�
It鈥檚 vital for DOS to be a visible, and helpful, presence to students, she said, especially those living off campus. Toward that end, DOS staff, along with members of the 蝌蚪直播 Police Department and the Office of Governmental and Community Affairs, recently visited off-campus student apartments bearing food and an invitation to chat informally.
鈥淲e talked about 蝌蚪直播鈥檚 expectations for all its undergraduates鈥攁nd that these expectations don鈥檛 stop where the campus ends. But most of all, we wanted to engage with these students, to be authentic, and to give them a sense of the resources and support we provide.鈥�
The office also held a mandatory meeting for off-campus students that focused on accountability and communication within the household.
鈥淔or most of these students, it鈥檚 the first time living independently in a house or apartment,鈥� said Kelly. 鈥淭his is an exciting experience, of course, so we offer guidance on how to make it rewarding and safe. We talk about the need to be clear about what is and isn鈥檛 acceptable, to check in with one another, and to set limits鈥攜ou should always know who is supposed to be in the house.
鈥淭he message we really want them to take away is they are not out there alone: We have a staff in DOS that is specifically dedicated to helping and supporting students living off campus.鈥�
鈥淐orey Kelly has exhibited tremendous leadership in supporting student responsibility and community standards,鈥� said Cooper Whitehead. 鈥淎s a senior leader in Student Affairs, Dr. Kelly brings a wealth of knowledge that contributes to the development of our students and to the 蝌蚪直播 community.鈥�
Administrative leadership in the student affairs field was not the career path Kelly envisioned for herself: She earned an M.S.W. from the 蝌蚪直播 School of Social Work and held positions in medical social work even as she worked at 蝌蚪直播 Student Affairs.聽 Yet she sees parallels between the two.
鈥淎s a social worker in a medical setting, you鈥檙e the middle point between the patient, the family, and the doctor, and you have to have lines of communication with all of them,鈥� explained Kelly, who also holds a Ph.D. in higher education from 蝌蚪直播, as well as a bachelor鈥檚 degree in psychology from Boston University. 鈥淚n this setting, we鈥檙e the middle point for the students, the University, and wider community. So we can鈥檛 be insular, we have to involve lots of other people in our operations and activities.鈥�
Sean Smith | University Communications | September 2022