Michael McElveen joins leadership team in new interim role as dean of students

Carson Bonner, Campus Carrier editor-in-chief

Eric Zuniga, Campus Carrier managing editor

The class of 2029 won’t be the only new faces in the Berry community this year. Sandeep Mazumder, Berry’s ninth president, took office in July following a transition that began with his unanimous appointment by the Board of Trustees in November.

Mazumder, a distinguished academic with a PhD in economics, comes to Berry after having worked in faculty and administrative positions at Wake Forest University and Baylor University. He served as the dean of Baylor’s business school before accepting the presidential position here. Mazumder said his first priority during the transition was to get to know the school’s history and community.

“This summer was good for me just to have time to actually go explore the campus and actually physically go see the different places here,” Mazumder said. “I’ve slowly started to meet many of the students. I’ve had the chance to meet some of the Gate scholars over the summer, so now it’s time to meet everyone else as well. I’m excited about that.”

Mazumder has emphasized Berry’s unique mission and founding principles in his first weeks as president, and he said he plans to base his decisions for the college on what sets Berry apart from other schools.

“I think [Baylor] is a great school in its own way — it’s just such a different institution in terms of the size and the culture and mission,” Mazumder said. “It’s definitely not the case that I’m coming in thinking ‘let’s do everything we did there and bring it in to Berry,’ because they are such different places and cultures.”

With Berry in a strong financial and academic position currently, Mazumder has not yet announced any major changes to the college’s operations or programs. He said, however, that he views the traditional “head, hearts and hands” philosophy as a way to consider how Berry can change in the future while staying true to its history.

“How do we program all of those things into our education and student programming as much as possible?” Mazumder said. “Really educating minds in the classroom whether it’s content or knowledge in different disciplines, but also providing exploration of faith if they’re talking about the heart or thinking about your LifeWorks jobs and what does that mean for future careers as we’re looking at the hands.”

One of Mazumder’s first priorities will be a reconsideration of Berry’s Foundations Curriculum, an initiative announced at faculty meetings on Monday. Mazumder said that curriculum should be the prerogative of the faculty, but he believes that it is time to reevaluate Berry’s general education program with an eye to the school’s mission and the changing academic landscape.

“Core curriculum for any college or university tend to be in place for 10 to 20 years, but in that period, they also should be looked at again for us to ask what should be revised or refreshed,” Mazumder said. “I think it’s the right time for us to ask questions about how do we keep it relevant and meaningful for our students so that we prepare them well and also make it unique to Berry, having the mission and values of Berry reflected.”                    

Another notable change on campus this year has been the movement of Director of Recreation Michael McElveen into the Interim Dean of Students role. He will be managing both roles, overseeing recreation and student wellness, as well as providing resources to students from the Dean of Students office and promoting student development. His roles also include overseeing counseling, health services, residence life and assisting Associate Dean of Students Lindsay Norman with the Title IX practices. 

“One thing [I am wanting to accomplish] is just trying to improve our processes,”McElveen said. “We want to make sure that as a student is navigating campus that they are having any of the services that they need so that all of the processes are understood and that we can help prevent any roadblocks.”

According to McElveen, there are always ways for students to receive help. This year, he hopes to lean into Berry’s strengths: student support from health services, counseling and care teams. He wants students to know that there is no wrong way for them to go about getting support. No matter where they go within Berry’s support network, there will be someone who can refer them to the right place. 

“I’m trying to talk about this concept that there’s never a wrong door,” McElveen said. “So as a student, if you walk into any of our offices, it’s not a wrong door. It might not be your final spot, but we will get you where you need to go and get you the resources you need.”

There have been complaints from students that the Dean of Students office has not shown sufficient disciplinary action in cases of harassment or bullying. McElveen said that he took the safety of students very seriously.

“I can assure you I take the safety of students very seriously,” McElveen said. “You have the right to pursue your education and if people are impending that, then we need to address those things. I know we can say we take it seriously but until you see or experience it, it can be hard to believe.” 

The topic of diversity, equity and inclusion has become controversial on college campuses under President Donald Trump’s executive orders, so many colleges have shied away from using this terminology, even ending programs promoting inclusion at the risk of suspended funding. According to McElveen, the Office of Belonging will continue to have the same activities and events, such as Solidarity Week and Be Love week.

“This hasn’t changed the commitment to that,” McElveen said. “So that office is spearheading that, and we’re supporting them and doing those things with that. So from a programmatic standpoint, we’re still doing those same things, it’s still important, it’s still part of our mission, part of our values. And so I don’t foresee that there will be talk of us not doing this.”

Despite the changes in administration and an uncertain political environment for higher education, Mazumder emphasized a similar message of stability at Berry. 

“I’m not expecting myself to know it all within the first two months and realizing it’s going to take time — the good news is Berry’s in a great place anyway,” Mazumder said. “It’s not the case that I’m coming into a situation where we have to make some sudden decisions or fix some emergencies. I don’t think that’s the case, so I have the space to be able to learn about Berry.”