Interim Dean of Students Announcement

November 3, 2014

Dear Trinity Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I wrote to you earlier about the pending retirement of two of the College’s senior administrators:  Larry Dow, Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, and Fred Alford, Dean of Students.  Active searches are under way for both of these key positions.

I am pleased to announce that Christopher D. Card, Associate Dean of Students, has agreed to serve as Interim Dean of Students and will assume his new duties immediately. Chris is a highly experienced member of the Dean of Students Office, and his appointment will provide the College with continuity during the search for a permanent Dean.  Fred Alford will continue in a consulting role, working with Dean of Multicultural Affairs and Title IX Officer Karla Spurlock-Evans on Title IX-related issues.

Chris has been a senior member of the Dean of Students Office since 1998 and brings a wealth of experience to the job, having overseen the College’s disciplinary process, Greek life, and emergency management team. He currently heads the Student Activities, Involvement, and Leadership (SAIL) Office and the Student Services for Social Houses Office, which works with Greek and other selective social organizations and theme houses.  A native of Jamaica, Chris holds a B.A. cum laude from Clark University where he was elected into Phi Beta Kappa, and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (M.A.L.D.) from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. In addition to his current areas of responsibility, Chris will assume oversight of the other departments in the Dean of Students Office: the Counseling Center, the Health Center, Residential Life, Dean of Students Operations, Accommodation Resources, and the Office of International Students and Scholars. His office will continue to be located in Hamlin Hall on the third floor.

I would like to thank Fred Alford not only for his years of service to Trinity but also for agreeing to stay on to give me time to become acclimated to Trinity before determining how best to proceed in replacing him. Given our priorities for the upcoming six months, it seemed wise to me and to Fred to have someone in place who will be here in the longer run to take the lead in important student life planning initiatives. Among the many decisions and programs for which I will thank Fred, I credit him with creating a deep bench of excellent colleagues in his office, enabling us to tap Chris Card for this interim position.  We will have the opportunity to more fully recognize and thank Fred for his contributions to Trinity at a campus gathering to be scheduled this year.

Sincerely,

Joanne Berger-Sweeney

President and Trinity College
Professor of Neuroscience