Archive: Around Town

Aurora, New York—Wells College recently announced the addition of Jennifer Michael to the Academic and Student Life Division as the College’s new dean of students. As a member of the College’s senior staff, Dean Michael will be overseeing the student activities and residence life offices as well as the College’s chaplaincy, supporting and assisting students as they complete their educations.

Dean Michael assumed her role in July and directed much of the preparations for the return of Wells’ students this fall and the arrival of the class of 2016, a class larger than any the College has seen in more than four decades. “I’m enjoying orientation, because I—as well as the first-year class—have a chance to learn a lot about the school through the process. Students are what give a college energy and life, and I function best with that energy around me.”

“In a community as small and student-centered as Wells, the Dean of Students plays an important role in the holistic education of our students,” said Provost and Dean of the College Cindy Speaker. “Dean Michael will ensure that our co-curricular programs support student learning while at the same time they create an environment in which students can develop a sense of belonging. I know Jenn will bring a lot to the position, and we’re glad to have her on board.”

Dean Michael comes to Wells from the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where she served three years as director of student activities, then an additional four as assistant dean. “I always wanted to get back to a liberal arts school,” she said. “Having come up through a liberal arts program myself, it’s what I’ve always known.” Michael earned her bachelor’s degree with a double major in political science and communications from Suffolk University and a master’s in applied educational psychology with a concentration in college student development and counseling from Northeastern University.

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