Samantha Ivery, acting director of the Center for Women and Gender and assistant dean of student life, will leave the College in June, according to an e-mail sent by Ivery to a select group of students on Jan. 31 that was obtained by The Dartmouth. A search for her replacement will commence "soon," according to Assistant Dean of Student Life Pam Misener, who has worked with Ivery in the Office of Pluralism and Leadership.
Ivery declined to comment on her decision to resign when contacted by The Dartmouth.
"It took me a very long time to make this decision and I assure you, your well-being and success at Dartmouth continues to be one of my highest priorities," Ivery, who also acts as the advisor to black students on campus, said in the e-mail.
Misener said she did not want to speculate about Ivery's rationale for resigning.
"I respect her decision," Misener said.
The College will begin a national search for the new advisor to black students in the near future, according to Misener. Both internal and external candidates will be able to apply to the position.
African American Society president Catianne Ngante '11 and Anise Vance '11 said they were not surprised to hear of Ivery's decision to resign, though they are not aware of her specific motivations.
Ivery's decision to resign "makes sense" due to the College's inability to retain minority faculty and staff, Vance said.
"Dartmouth does a horrible job retaining faculty and administration of color," Vance said. "Every three or four years you see this exodus of people of color and it looks like its happening again now."
Hanover is often considered "a tough place" for minority faculty members, because people of color often struggle to find a sense of community within Hanover, and "Dartmouth does not make it any easier," Vance said.
Vance said he could not directly attribute Ivery's decision to these issues, however.
In addition to serving as an advisor to students, Ivery manages several clubs and organizations that address minority issues. She also played a significant role in establishing the First Year Scholarship Enrichment Program, which assists first-generation college students as they make the transition to Dartmouth, according to Vance, who was also involved in FYSEP.
Vance said Ivery has done "a great job" serving as a resource for students and providing support to other organizations, such as the Men of Color Alliance.
"She's created more of a space for underrepresented communities and more of a voice for underrepresented communities," Vance said. "A lot of black students here have difficulties in this environment and [Ivery] has been a great source of strength."
Ivery has also helped secure funding for clubs that focus on minority issues, according to Vance. Many of these organizations lost funding over the past few years and depended on Ivery's influence to regain their resources, he said.
Ngante said Ivery is "very much a part of the community" and actively makes herself available as a resource to students.
Misener said she hopes Ivery will play a significant role in the search process for her replacement. Ivery is already involved in the search process for the new director for the Center for Women and Gender, according to Misener.
The new advisor is expected to begin work by July 1, the beginning of the new fiscal year, according to Misener.
Ivery began working at the College in 2002, when she served as a community director through the Office of Residential Life. During this time, Ivery also worked part-time at the Center for Women and Gender, according to Misener. Ivery left the College briefly in 2006 and worked as the coordinator of multicultural programs and advisor to international students at Haverford College.
In 2007, Ivery returned to serve as the advisor to black students. She recently assumed her current role in the Center for Women and Gender, and the search for the permanent director is still underway.
"Sam's always been one of those amazing colleagues who's always willing to step up and do what's best for students," Misener said.
Diana Ming contributed to the reporting of this article.
