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Dean of Students

The dean of students office provides a broad range of student services and facilitates educational and campus life opportunities within the division of student life.

Division of Student Life Organizational Chart (pdf)
Division of Student Life Mission Statement (pdf)

The dean of students office is located on the second floor of the Merrill Student Life Center.

Byron McCrae Dean of Students
Byron P. McCrae
413.559.5412
bmccrae@hampshire.edu

The dean of students is the chief student affairs officer and is responsible for overseeing the division of student life, including:

Dean McCrae has served as vice president and dean of student life at Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania. He has also been a member of the student affairs staffs of Sarah Lawrence College and the San Francisco Art Institute. McCrae holds a doctorate in educational leadership, administration, and policy from Fordham University as well as a master’s in higher education from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in communications arts from Salisbury University. Dean McCrae joined the Hampshire community in 2013.

Senior Associate Dean of Students
Josiah S. Litant 00F
413.559.6666
jlitant@hampshire.edu

The senior associate dean of students supports a variety of areas within student life, including: strategic initiatives and program assessment; new student programs and the orientation program; the office of student conduct, rights, and responsibilities and the Community Review Board; transfer student life; and the student government. The senior associate dean also takes a lead role in developing initiatives to support the development of student life as a division, working to create opportunities for education and collaboration for staff throughout the division. The senior associate dean serves as acting dean of students when the dean of students is unavailable.

Dean Litant has degrees in education from Hampshire College (B.A.) and Goddard College (M.A.), and has served in his current role since 2008. He has previously held various positions in student life, including in residence life and student activities. Dean Litant is a 2010 recipient of the Carol and Blair Brown Award for Staff Excellence.

Senior Associate Dean of Students for Residence Life
Renee Freedman 76S
413.559.5412
rfreedman@hampshire.edu

The senior associate dean of students for residence life oversees all aspects of residence life and in-house disciplinary affairs. This includes supervision of the residence life staff and the director of housing operations. Together with members of the residence life staff, the senior associate dean ensures safe and comfortable housing in an environment that encourages students to grow and learn outside the classroom as well as within it.

Dean Freedman also serves as the Title IX deputy officer for the College, with responsibility for overseeing the investigation and hearing process for complaints of student sexual offenses.

Dean Freedman is a Hampshire College alum, and has overseen residence life since 2001. She has been a member of the Hampshire College staff since 1986. Dean Freedman is a 2007 recipient of the Carol and Blair Brown Award for Staff Excellence.

Associate Dean of Students for Campus Leadership and Activities
Pam Tinto
413.559.5751
ptinto@hampshire.edu

The associate dean of students for campus leadership and activities works with the College's 100+ student groups in support of student activities and events. She oversees the office of campus leadership and activities, which organizes Signer Seminar (student leadership training), Hampfest (student activities fair), the Ingenuity Awards and the student group recognition and approval process. The associate dean also works closely with the subcommittees of Community Council (student government association), including FiCom, the financial committee and COCD, the committee on community development. Additionally, dean Tinto manages the Prescott Tavern, a study and social space on campus, and the TavernArt Gallery. She is also an active member of the Hampshire Environmental Committee.

Dean Tinto has been overseeing campus leadership and activities since 2008. Prior to that, she was a member of the residence life staff from 2000-2006.

Assistant Dean of Students for Community Advocacy
Melissa Scheid Frantz
413.559.5415
mscheidfrantz@hampshire.edu

The assistant dean of students for community advocacy oversees the department of Community Advocacy, which incorporates multicultural and international student services (and the Lebron-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center), queer student services (and the Queer Community Alliance Center), women student services (and the Center for Feminisms), spiritual life (and the Spiritual Life Center), and the Wellness Center. Community Advocacy promotes the well-being of the entire campus community; fosters connections across social identities and ideas; and engages in passionate and compassionate dialogue and programs.

Additionally, the assistant dean directs the office of Multicultural and International Student Services (MISS), which provides a network of comprehensive services and innovative programs that support and advance the intellectual, personal, cultural, and social development of students of color and international students. MISS is housed in the Lebrón-Wiggins-Pran Cultural Center, which provides programming and resources to the multicultural student community and the larger campus community on topics related to race, ethnicity, culture, and under-representation.

Melissa Scheid Frantz has been a member of the Hampshire College staff since 2002. Dean Scheid Frantz is a 2005 recipient of the Carol and Blair Brown Award for Staff Excellence.

Special Projects Coordinator and Office Manager
Susan King
413.559.5412
sking@hampshire.edu

The special projects coordinator and office manager collaborates with deans and directors throughout the division to implement and manage new intiatives and projects. She works across the division to help provide clear responses to student needs by implementing new services and enhancing existing ones. In addition, she oversees all administrative functions of the dean of students office and logistical support for the programs managed by the office, including orientation and commencement. She also holds primary responsibility for strategic planning for the office's logistical operations. The special projects coordinator and office manager also oversees the office assistant and the student work staff in the dean of students office.

Susan King joined the dean of students office in July 2009, and has since served in multiple roles. She previously worked for several years in the Gateway Regional School District in Huntington, Massachusetts.

Dean of Students Office Assistant
Sarah Aldrich
413.559.5412
saldrich@hampshire.edu

The office assistant supports the daily activity of the dean of students office. She manages the office's purchasing, filing systems, deans' calendars, and correspondence, and provides logistical support to the special projects coordinator and office manager in the planning and management of office events.

Sarah Aldrich began her work in the dean of students office in August 2011. Sarah's previous experience includes serving in an administrative support capacity at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.