Assistant Dean of Residential Life Alison Keefe last Friday announced she is leaving the College to become the new assistant director of residential life at Salem State College in Salem, Mass.
Keefe, who has worked at Dartmouth for five years overseeing academic affinity and special interest programs, as well as senior and undergraduate societies, will leave town on Aug. 4.
"I'm really sad about leaving the College," Keefe said. "I've had so many great opportunities here -- my office has been really supportive, but I'm looking forward to working with a different student population."
Keefe said she will be responsible for supervising residential life staff and coordinating department programs at the state school, which is attended primarily by Massachusetts residents.
According to Keefe, more than 10,000 students attend Salem State, but less than 1,500 students actually live on campus.
"Structurally, I will have a greater opportunity gaining supervisory experience. It is a positive career move," she said. "It will definitely be more responsibility, no doubt about that."
Keefe served as an area director for two years before being promoted to her current position in 1992 after a national search.
In her time here, Keefe has helped orchestrate many changes in residence hall advising.
For example, Keefe implemented the graduate associate program, where graduate students serve as informal advisors to undergraduates in selected dorms.
"This was the most challenging program for me to implement," she said. "It's now in its third year and has been well-received by students."
Keefe said she is also pleased with the increased emphasis on undergraduate advisor training.
"Our UGAs, with the help of colleagues and faculty members, are really well-trained," she said. "They are more properly trained for the jobs they do."
Keefe said she enjoyed working with Panarchy and Amarna, the College's two undergraduate societies.
"I love working with undergraduate societies," she said. "I think they are in their infancy now. They are just going to continue to grow."
Additionally, Keefe served on the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Committee, the Women's Resource Center Advisory Board, the On Campus Talking About Alcohol education program and directed the Class of 1960 student art acquisition program.
In a letter addressed to "friends" in the Office of Residential Life, Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco praised Keefe's work at the College.
"Alison has served the Dean of the College Office and the Office of Residential Life Office extremely ..., and will be sorely missed by students and faculty and her associates in Student Affairs," Turco wrote.
Plans for Keefe's replacement have not been announced.
"I have not yet completed plans for the initiation of a search for her replacement, but hope to have those decisions finalized in the near future," Turco wrote.
Turco is attending a conference at Stanford University in California and could not be reached for comment.
