ISU dean of students candidates announced

12-14-05

Contacts:

Tom Hill, Vice President for Student Affairs, (515) 294-1909

Annette Hacker, News Service, (515) 294-3720

ISU dean of students candidates announced

AMES, Iowa -- Six finalists have been named in the search for a new dean of students at Iowa State University. They are:

  • Robert Cabello, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Broward Community College, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
  • John Jones III, associate dean of students at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)
  • George McClellan, vice president for student development at Dickinson State University, Dickinson, N.D.
  • Sharon Paterson McGuire, interim dean of students, Iowa State University
  • Katherine Sermersheim, director of student development at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill.
  • Zauyah Waite, director of student life at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Candidates will participate in open forums on the Iowa State campus Jan. 17-26. Students, staff, faculty and other interested community members are invited to attend. All of the meetings will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. on the following dates:

  • Sermersheim: Tuesday, Jan. 17, Gallery, Memorial Union
  • McClellan: Wednesday, Jan. 18, Gallery, Memorial Union
  • Waite: Friday, Jan. 20, Pioneer Room, Memorial Union
  • Cabello: Tuesday, Jan. 24, Gold Room, Memorial Union
  • McGuire: Wednesday, Jan. 25, Gallery, Memorial Union
  • Jones: Thursday, Jan. 26, Pioneer Room, Memorial Union

The dean of students is responsible for a variety of student academic and support services, and oversees such units as the academic success center, Greek affairs, the Hixson Opportunity Awards, judicial affairs, recreation services and multicultural student affairs, among others.

Cabello has been vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Broward Community College since 1997. Previously, Cabello served as vice president for student services and was an associate professor of counselor education/college student personnel at Western Illinois University, Macomb, Ill. He also was vice president for student services at Delta College, University Center, Mich. Cabello holds a law degree from Indiana University -- Bloomington; a master's degree in counseling/college student personnel administration from Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti; and a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Before Jones became associate dean of students at IUPUI in 2004, he held the assistant dean position, and was the student affairs specialist in the Office of the Dean of Students at Purdue. Jones earned doctoral and master's degrees in higher education administration from the University of Iowa, and holds a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from Appalachian State University, Boone, N.C.

McClellan has served as vice president for student development at Dickinson State since 2003. Prior to that, he was interim director of assessment and research for campus life at the University of Arizona, Tucson. He also has been director of graduate and off-campus housing at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill. McClellan received his doctorate in higher education from the University of Arizona; and master's (higher education administration) and bachelor's (English and American literature) degrees from Northwestern.

McGuire has been interim dean of students at Iowa State since July 1, 2005. She joined Iowa State in 1999 as assistant dean of students and director of ISU's Academic Success Center. McGuire had been the retention programs coordinator at Radford University, Virginia. McGuire holds a doctorate in sociology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, Va.; a master's degree in higher education/college student personnel from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale; and a bachelor's degree in sociology from Oregon State University, Corvallis.

Sermersheim has been assistant director and is now director of student development at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. Previously, she was assistant director of student activities at Western Illinois University, Macomb. Sermersheim received a doctorate in educational administration from Southern Illinois University, a master's degree in college student personnel from Western Illinois University, and bachelor's degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of Southern Indiana, Evansville.

Waite has been student services coordinator, assistant director and director of the Student Life Office at the University of Missouri -- Kansas City. She earned doctoral (urban leadership and policy studies in education) and master's (reading education) degrees from the University of Missouri -- Kansas City; and a bachelor's degree and education diploma in English language studies and translation from the Science University of Malaysia.

Iowa State's former dean of students, Pete Englin, became director of ISU's Department of Residence last July.

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