As the search ramps up to fill Elon University’s new dean of students position, the search team moved to make the process a more private matter, requiring faculty, staff and students who attend the presentations for finalists to agree to confidentiality.
In an email sent to faculty and staff the morning of March 20 from Jason Husser and Randy Williams, members of the Elon community were invited to attend the presentations of finalists for the new position which begin on Monday, March 24. Husser and Williams are responsible for leading the search committee responsible for finding candidates and are working with Spelman Johnson, an executive search firm which works with higher education institutions, according to the email.
“The candidate information is confidential to ensure the success of the search process and to protect the prospective candidates and their current employment,” Husser and Williams wrote in the email sent to faculty and staff.
Husser wrote in an email to Elon News Network that the finalist presentations are open to students, however the presentations are primarily intended for faculty and staff and anyone attending a presentation must agree to keep names of finalists confidential. The three sessions with finalists presenting are on campus and will begin March 24.
Session 1: 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 24 in Moseley 215
Session 2: 4 to 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 26 in Moseley 215
Session 3: 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 31 in LaRose Student Commons 200
In order to attend the presentation dates, attendees are required to fill out a Qualtrics survey included in the email, which details the confidentiality requirements set by the search committee. Attendees are prohibited from sharing candidate information, including names, information and any other materials “outside of Elon’s community,” according to the survey form.
Over the past three years, candidate searches to fill open dean positions at Elon have not required attendees to maintain confidentiality. The four dean candidate searches that took place during this period were for the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, School of Health Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences and School of Communications.
The dean of students is responsible for supervising Student Care and Outreach, Student Conduct, the assistant dean of student success and retention, and the assistant dean of students. The assistant dean of students is responsible for university protocol related to Elon’s emergency response and the on-call system, behavioral intervention, graduate student life and off-campus issues and relationships according to the email.
The new dean of students position is also intended to work closely with the Student Government Association and its advising team. Currently, Jodean Schmeiderer serves as the SGA adviser.
According to Executive President-elect Anya Bratić, SGA members will be attending the presentations.
“Several SGA members will meet with the finalists and share their feedback with the Student Body President-elect, who serves as a member of the search committee,” Bratić wrote in an email to ENN. “Their insights are highly valued and will play an influential role in the final hiring decision.”
In an email to ENN, Husser said there are two student representatives who are on the search committee and everyone who attends a presentation will have access to a feedback form about the candidate.
Jana Lynn Patterson currently serves as the dean of students and the associate vice president for Student Life, but starting June 1 will become the associate vice president and dean of student health and well-being. The new dean of students will begin in the summer.
Patterson’s current position was split into two senior leadership positions: dean of students and associate vice president and dean of student health and well-being. The changes to the position came after Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley announced at the end of 2024 the restructuring of Campus Recreation and Wellness also into two separate departments: Campus Recreation and Health Promotion.