Scott C. Brown has been appointed interim dean of the College, effective immediately, Interim Provost David Kotz ’86 announced today. The dean of the College is the senior officer responsible for undergraduate academic and co-curricular life.
Brown will be joined by Marianne Huger Thomson, who begins as interim associate dean of Student Affairs on Aug. 23. The associate dean serves as senior adviser to the dean of the College. Both have agreed to two-year interim roles, will begin their work remotely, and will be on campus in person by the end of the month.
“We are fortunate to have found in both Scott and Marianne two seasoned Student Affairs professionals who are committed to the needs of our diverse community,” Kotz says. “I am confident in their ability to provide excellent interim leadership and to hit the ground running.”
Brown—who spent three years working in Student Affairs at Dartmouth in the early 1990s—most recently served as interim associate vice president and dean of students at Northern Arizona University (NAU). He is stepping in following Professor of Sociology Kathryn Lively’s return to the faculty after three years in the dean’s office.
“I was grateful to start my career at Dartmouth nearly 30 years ago, and it has been my enduring hope to return,” Brown says. “As a first-generation college student—and first-generation American, on my mother’s side—I believe that it is not just how, but who Dartmouth educates that makes a difference. The commitment to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive climate for all people is important to me, as is working very closely with students and our faculty colleagues to promote student engagement and success in and out of the classroom.”
Brown will hold open office hours for students beginning the first week of September, and will begin meeting with student leaders and organizations before the term begins.
“I look forward to talking with students about the issues that are most important to them,” he says. “It is a tremendous privilege to be joining my wonderful colleagues in Student Affairs to enhance the Dartmouth experience for all students.”
Among his accomplishments at NAU, Brown led the student behavioral intervention and threat assessment teams as well as the Student Engagement and Inclusive Excellence area. He also initiated and led his division’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic planning on climate, retention, policy, structure, education, and program development and coordination.
Before NAU, Brown was vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students at the College of Wooster, and associate vice president and dean of students at Colgate University—a tenure that included a year as interim vice president and dean of the college. He joined Colgate from Mount Holyoke College, where he directed the Daniel L. Jones Career Development Center.
From 1992 to 1995—between completing his master’s in higher education and student affairs from Indiana University, Bloomington, and beginning his PhD studies in college student personnel administration at the University of Maryland—Brown served as an area director in Dartmouth’s Office of Residential Life. The experience changed his life, he says.
“I met my wife on a blind date at Dirt Cowboy,” says Brown. He also played with the Tuck rugby team, enrolled in the Master of Liberal Studies (MALS) program, and was a founding member of the Coalition for LGBTQ Concerns.
“During my time in Hanover I experienced first-hand the intimacy and community of a liberal arts college within a dynamic, world class research institution,” he says of his time at Dartmouth. “I have remained in contact with many alumni who were students during my time on campus.”
Thomson—who earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Georgetown and her master’s and PhD in higher education administration from George Washington University—comes to Dartmouth from Syracuse University, where she has served for the past three years as associate vice president for student experience and as dean of students.
Before Syracuse, Thomson was at American University, where she served in several roles, including associate dean of students and executive director of academic student services and access. She began her career in student services at Georgetown University, where she served as manager for student services and assistant to the dean of students at the School of Medicine and as director of disability services at the law school.
Of coming to Dartmouth, Thomson says, “I’m excited to work for such a mission-driven institution with such dedicated faculty and staff. I look forward to meeting students this fall and building on the good work of the Student Affairs team. The welcome I have received thus far has been so warm, and I can’t wait to join the Dartmouth and Hanover communities.”
Coinciding with the arrival of Brown and Thomson, and to support Dartmouth’s priority of increasing engagement with important campus stakeholders, Dartmouth will launch an Undergraduate Parents and Families Liaison Team, which will focus on communicating directly with families. The team’s charge will be to keep families informed and to provide details of important initiatives and College priorities directly related to their students.