Dean College Invests in its Future as it Announces New President and New Position of Chancellor
The Dean College Board of Trustees announced Wednesday that Kenneth Elmore, J.D. has been selected to serve as the College’s 14th President and that Edward M. Augustus Jr. has been named the school’s first-ever Chancellor. Elmore will replace current President Paula M. Rooney, Ed. D., who announced last year that she would be ending her tenure after 27 years of leadership at the College.
Elmore is an Associate Provost and the Dean of Students at Boston University, where he has been a member of the leadership team for nearly two decades. Elmore worked as a practicing attorney and in the college’s student orientation and residence offices prior to joining its leadership team in 2003. Augustus has had a long and successful career in public service, most recently as the former City Manager of Worcester, Massachusetts. In addition, he served in the Massachusetts State Senate from 2005 to 2009, before holding a senior role at the College of the Holy Cross.
Elmore has more than three decades of higher education experience as an accomplished leader, connector, and community builder. Throughout his career Kenn has been an institutional catalyst dedicated to making and keeping the common ground compelling. Elmore’s signature is his commitment to public engagement and the pluralistic ideal. His “work” is to break barriers of divisiveness by pushing communities to discover their shared humanity and to foster meaningful, authentic friendships. Kenn has worked with students – graduate and undergraduate – to expand their intellectual, social, and spiritual growth.
Mr. Augustus has worked in public service for more than 30 years. He was appointed as the City Manager of Worcester, Massachusetts in January 2014. As City Manager, he focused on continuing Worcester’s economic development renaissance, supporting education and youth, and making city government inclusive for all residents of New England’s second-largest city. During his tenure, he led a downtown resurgence effort through the development and implementation of the Urban Revitalization Plan. He has also overseen more than $90 million in renovations and improvements to the City’s 61 public parks.
“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to serve Dean College in this newly formed role,” says Augustus, “I look forward to working closely with Kenn and the Dean Community, we are all going to form a tremendous team.”
Adds Elmore, “Dean College has such an amazing history and reputation, I am honored to serve as its 14th President and to collaborate hand in hand with Ed and the entire group. This is truly The Dean Difference in action, and I can’t wait to get started.”
As the landscape in higher education continues to evolve, Chair of the Board of Trustees Mark Boyce said that it was critical Dean expand its leadership team to include experienced higher education and community leaders with complementary backgrounds.
“We are excited to introduce this innovative and collaborative approach to management, with two highly qualified individuals assuming transformative leadership roles – one, primarily externally focused, and the other, internally focused,” says Boyce. “The Board of Trustees felt it was critical to look at a new model to bring strategic focus and creativity from individuals with experience inside and outside of the field.”
“We could not be more thrilled to have the opportunity to bring on two people as highly accomplished and successful as Mr. Augustus and Mr. Elmore,” continued Boyce. “Our college is growing and our opportunity to further define Dean as a leading academic institution has never been greater. Successfully recruiting a President of Kenn’s caliber and adding a Chancellor role with Ed’s background is an investment in Dean’s future and a clear understanding of what it will take to build on the success of Dr. Rooney’s extraordinary years.”
Both the President and Chancellor will report directly to the Board of Trustees with specific areas of focus in their respective roles. Augustus will primarily be responsible for business development, community and alumni relations, government relations and external affairs, advancement, facilities, technology, operations, and strategic planning. Elmore will focus on the areas of academic affairs, student success and academic support programs, student life, enrollment and retention, marketing, athletics, and financial services.
As higher education continues to become more complex, especially for small, private institutions Dean College feels that they are on the cutting-edge of a template that will become more commonplace in the future. “The primary responsibility in leading an institute of higher learning is providing a structure that puts each person in a position to be successful. We feel that with the unique skill set that Ed and Kenn offer, we have done that here,” says Boyce. “It is a model that will likely become more popular over time due to the growing intricacies of our industry.”
Augustus and Elmore inherit a college that is thriving as a result of growing academic programs, co-curricular opportunities, learning support and career preparation services and more. Founded in 1865, Dean is currently home to 1,200 full-time students and 400 part-time students enrolled in over 30 full-time, part-time, bachelor’s and associate degree programs. Dean also maintains a long-standing exclusive academic partnership with Kraft Sports + Entertainment, active NCAA Division III membership for 16 athletic teams, a strong alumni network of over 25,000 and a solid financial footing with an endowment of over $70 million.
Dean College was assisted in its search by Greenwood/Asher & Associates, LLC.