With all the changes in the administration happening lately, the Guilford College community recently learned that Associate Professor of Justice & Policy Studies Barbara Lawrence is now the associate academic dean, and former Associate Academic Dean Erin Dell will act as the president’s assistant.
“I’m looking forward to working with Erin, and I think (both of them) will do great work for Guilford, and we will see positive changes from their involvement,” said Guilford College President Jane Fernandes.
Dell herself is looking forward to this opportunity.
“I’ve been at Guilford for close to 13 years and have had the privilege to work across many campus areas and offices: with faculty, staff, students, Board members and alumni,” said Dell in an email interview. “I am deeply invested in our community, in Quaker education, and I am excited to serve the College in this way.”
Lawrence has also worked at Guilford for a long time as associate professor of justice & policy studies.
“She has such a great resume of experiences being a lawyer and having been in law enforcement and now having been in higher ed for as long as she has,” said Director of the Bonner Center for Community Service & Learning James Shields. “It’s just that perfect combination of experiences that I think is great for our students to have.”
Both Lawrence and Dell will be dealing with new responsibilities.
“The Associate Dean is responsible for academic misconduct, so students and faculty who have questions about the academic conduct process, the Associate Dean manages those,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean Beth Rushing.
“It’s really kind of a liaison between students and faculties on contentious issues sometimes between an individual students and a faculty member.”
According to Student Body President Molly Anne Marcotte, while the job requires a lot of patience and strength, she believes Lawrence will have no problems.
“Barbara will bring a new energy of justice, equality and accountability to that position,” said Marcotte. “She knows the students but also understands the importance of making sure our academic work is done with honesty.”
As for Dell, her biggest change is the projects she plans to tackle.
“This position has a focus on college-wide projects and the President’s strategic priorities,” said Dell.
“While my previous role did offer opportunities to work on campus-wide initiatives, my responsibilities primarily focused on day-to-day classroom and grade issues as well as academic integrity matters.
“What does not change in my new role is my continued belief in our mission and supporting an excellent liberal arts education for our students.”
Lawrence and Dell take on only two of the positions that will be filled in the coming months.
“The College is undergoing a lot of transition right now,” said Marcotte. “I would ask as a student body for us to remain faithful and committed to the Guilford community and to support the administration as we undergo these changes but also make sure we continually hold the administration accountable to upholding the Guilford values.”
