As President William Durden’s ’71 term as the head of Dickinson draws to a close, his successor has begun to step into her position as the college’s 28th president.
Dr. Nancy A. Roseman visited campus on Monday, Feb. 18 and Tuesday, Feb 19 as part of the transitional process of taking over as president of Dickinson College. Every four to six weeks she will return to get to know the campus, staff and students on a more personal level.
During her visit, she met with the senior staff, the presidential staff and the vice president. She also looked at facilities on campus. Roseman’s tour of the college included a stop at Allison Church, the property on Morgan Field recently acquired by the College. The new president looks forward to mobilizing the potential Allison Church has to offer.
Connecting the student body to the community remains a high priority for her upcoming visit in mid-March.
“I look forward to exploring the surrounding area and to getting the students out into the beauty of the landscape,” said Roseman. “It’s so easy to stay in your own little bubble on campus, and the surrounding area has a lot to offer.”
While on campus Roseman also stopped in to meet with the major administrators of Dining Services. Along with the staff workers themselves, she was impressed by the napkin-suggestion system the cafeteria runs.
“People don’t rest on their laurels here,” said Roseman. “They always see how they can do better. It is a process of meeting people and understanding what they do, absorbing as much as they can.”
After spending a day and a half at Dickinson, Roseman left to meet with new alumni in New York where she was able to learn about the college through the eyes of the students.
“What really struck me when meeting with the alums was their tremendous passion for Dickinson. Dickinson prepared them and helped them out after graduation. Dickinson invested in them, and they want to invest back in Dickinson,” explained Roseman.
In order to get acquainted with the student body, Roseman will be returning for more short visits in mid-March and late April. She is building up to staying in Carlisle, but has a long way to go and many people to meet before she does.
“It’s like finals week,” explained Roseman. “I’m getting ready for my big exam.”
