Kevin Foster became Dickinson’s new Executive Director for Campus Life in early January.  When describing what his job entails, Foster said: “In this role, I will be overseeing the areas of Residence Life and Housing, Student Leadership and Campus Engagement and New Student Programs. The goal of combining these areas is to help enhance the student experience by supporting the residential student experience.” He also will be the faculty advisor for Student Senate and has attended the past several meetings.

Before coming to Dickinson, Foster worked at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania as the Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Leadership Development. As the Assistant Director he trained over two hundred students, advisors and faculty each year. From 2013 to 2015 Foster worked as the Director of Residence Life and Housing at the The Art Institute of York, Pennsylvania, where he, according to his Linkedin profile, “trained both professional staff and Residence Assistants on campus policies and procedures, positive confrontation, and program development while [he] was managing the operations of a 60-unit residential complex with a $2 million budget, developing occupancy and financial goals, and reviewing budgets quarterly and as needed.”

Speaking to his preparedness for working at Dickinson, Foster said “I have worked in higher education for over 15 years. Over that time I have held roles in Resident Life and Housing, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Leadership Development and Student Involvement,” in addition he emphasized how similar his past experience was to Dickinson’s Campus Life Office.

When asked what drew him to Dickinson, Foster said “the position and the areas that are within the department. These are all areas I have loved working with in the past given the positive impact they have on the student experience and the campus [as] a whole. Additionally, having worked at two small privates before, I was excited about working with a close knit community. [I] also grew up in the Harrisburg area, so this [is] somewhat of a homecoming [after] living in Western PA for the past eight years.”

Foster hopes “through the department and the areas represented, to support and enhance existing programs and experiences that are important to the Dickinson experience. I hope to grow new opportunities that support the liberal arts focus of Dickinson.” Primarily, he says “I hope to support connections amongst the Dickinson students through the experiences that come out of Campus Life and in collaboration with campus partners.”