Martin Redman - currently the associate dean of students and director of Residential Life at Carleton College in Minnesota - was appointed the new dean of Residential Life, Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson announced Friday.
Redman will begin his position at Dartmouth July 1, replacing Mary Liscinsky who has been the acting dean since Mary Turco announced she was stepping down from the post last spring.
In his new position, Redman will be responsible for all aspects of residential life, including the implementation and evaluation of possible changes under the initiative for social and residential life.
Redman said he is excited to be coming to Dartmouth and taking on the challenges of the position, as well as developing and instituting change under the Social and Residential Life Initiative.
"I think people are looking for the residential component of living at Dartmouth to be more than what it is now," Redman said.
He said the first thing his new position will require is learning about Dartmouth and it's unique aspects. This will allow him to work within the context of Dartmouth's own culture, Redman said.
"I do not have and don't want to come to Dartmouth with a formed opinion," Redman said. "I need to come to learn and understand and come with a very open mind to understand what Dartmouth is and where to go from there."
In assessing the current and future role of the single-sex Greek system on campus, Redman said he's not sure if the Trustees' Five Principles must necessarily mean the end of the Greek system "as we know it."
"Fraternities seem to have a large place in the history of Dartmouth," Redman said. "I would hope that they remain a viable component of that."
Redman said he feels the largest issue is not coeducational living, but alcohol, which should be considered when making changes under the Five Principles. He said his impression was that most fraternities seem to have "a good time and not bother anyone," but that alternatives to the primarily alcohol-based social life need to be explored.
Redman said he is looking forward to working with students, faculty and administrators in shaping a new vision of residential and social life at the College.
"Everyone I met was really excited and willing to think outside the box," Redman said.
Redman said he is committed to incorporating student voices into any possible changes, and said he would use a mix of quantitative and qualitative assessments of the current system as well as significant conversations with many different students to accomplish this.
Other goals Redman has for his position include understanding the residential life staff and the staffing pattern and looking at the residential facilities and programming.
In addition to his role as Dean of Residential Life, Redman will serve as the East Wheelock Cluster Associate on an acting basis. Redman will replace Creative Writing Professor Cleopatra Mathis who announced at the end of Winter term she would be stepping down from the position.
In this role he will gain an in-depth look at residential life at the College and allow him to meet faculty, students and staff, Nelson said.
Redman said he is looking forward to living in the Associate's house adjacent to the cluster to get a better feel for what life at the College is really like. Redman also said he was interested in seeing what aspects of the East Wheelock residential program could possibly be incorporated into other parts of residential life.
Nelson and future Dean of the College James Larimore appointed Redman upon recommendation from the search committee, which has been accepting applicants and narrowing down candidates since early in Winter Term.
"The search committee made a recommendation to me and Jim Larimore," Nelson said. "We agreed with the search committee's recommendation."
Nelson said Redman was chosen for his experience, which consists of over 20 years of residential life experience at leading private liberal arts colleges.
Nelson said a primary factor in Redman's selection was "his experience and his understanding of the role of residential life in a liberal arts institution."
During his nearly five years at Carleton, Redman has overseen all aspects of residential life, including budget, personnel, residential education, disciplinary processes and facilities operations.
Prior to his position at Carleton, Redman served as the Assistant Dean of Educational Services and Director of Residential Life at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. At Dickinson, Redman was responsible for all student groups including fraternities and sororities.
