After serving as interim dean of students for the School of General Studies for 18 months, Scott Halvorson officially assumed the position of GS dean of students on Monday. Going forward with his new title, Halvorson said he plans to focus his efforts on financial aid, advising, housing, and academic alignment with the other undergraduate schools of Columbia.
Halvorson, who has been at GS for 13 years, was a full-time adviser for GS students, taught screen writing in the School of the Arts, and also acted as the director of the Program for Academic Leadership and Service and associate director of the Global Scholars Program.
In June 2008, he became the dean of students on an interim basis after the former dean of students, Mary McGee, accepted the position of dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Alfred University.
This new appointment, he said, is a chance to expand on his previous work with students.
“Having been an advising dean, that has been the best ... part of my education,” he said.
As the dean of students, he said, “I want our office to keep advancing the cause for financial aid.” This is consistently a major concern for GS students, according to Halvorson. Unlike the other undergraduate schools, GS students often have to support families or have already spent years in the workforce.
Academic advising, too, he said, is one of the crucial issues for student life at GS. Currently advising a full load of over 150 students himself—a number that will likely decrease in the future, due to his new position—Halvorson said that students need help planning course loads. Although students can drop classes during the semester, they still must pay full-price for those classes that they decide not to take, he said, noting the particular importance of advising at GS.
Analyzing the GS core requirements is also important, he said, especially where the core curriculum varies from other Columbia schools.
Halvorson would also like to continue to work on the issue of housing, which is not currently guaranteed for GS students. It is “easier to live in the neighborhood instead of in Brooklyn,” he said.
He would like to attempt to learn all of the facts and issues surrounding housing, so that GS can attempt to make this “very complicated system” more efficient.
Halvorson said that his job never ceases to present new challenges. “The thing about this job is that it is always surprising,” he said. “Every semester, every month, something new happens. ... The biggest challenge is that you have to see the whole field. You can’t retreat into one specialty.”
GS Dean Peter Awn wrote in a press release on Monday, “Throughout this time, Dean Halvorson has proven to be a talented administrator and capable leader who is passionate about the mission of GS and its students.”
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