Rice announces new student center director

By Wesley Chou     10/21/13 7:00pm

Director of Student Activities Kate Abad will be the director of Rice University's newly merged Student Center and Office of Student Activities, according to Associate Dean of Undergraduates and Director of Multicultural Affairs Catherine Clack.

Abad, now the director of Student Center and Student Activities, said she is excited to take on the new position and to continue working with students.

"It's a great opportunity to explore the synergy between the two offices," Abad said. "I hope students will feel the Student Center is supportive of their activities and efforts."

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Clack said previous Director of the Student Center Boyd Beckwith, who is now the director of Georgia State University's student center, resigned July 29, prompting the Student Center to post a job listing seeking a new director. Clack said 20 candidates applied during the 30 days the listing remained online.

Student Association President Yoonjin Min said she and Graduate Student Association President Michael "Goat" Domeracki were the student representatives for the search committee responsible for recommending a new director, which was chaired by Director of First Year Programs Shelah Crear.

"[Domeracki] and I were part of the committee that was supposed to consider the qualities we want in a Student Center director, read applications, choose applicants to interview, conduct phone interviews and select applicants for in-person interviews," Min said. "The search was called off due to [a] lack of qualified candidates."

Clack said that after the committee ended its search, combining the Student Center and Student Activities was the logical step due to the two offices' similar physical setting.

"When we decided to merge the [Student Center and Student Activities] together, we realized that [Abad] could take on those responsibilities very quickly and manage it beautifully," Clack said. "Plus, she has a staff that is so good that they're going to be able to bring her up to speed very quickly anyways."

According to Clack, both the initial search for a new Student Center director and the decision to promote Abad were made by various administrative officials and included student representation.

"While the final decision was ultimately made by [Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson], he and I also talked with both the presidents of the SA and GSA as well," Clack said. "We then talked to Crear, who headed the search committee, and [Associate Vice President for Housing and Dining] Mark Ditman. After we got permission from [Hutchinson] to go forward, we ... asked the [Student Center staff] if they had any concerns, just to make sure that everybody was happy. And so far, everyone has been delighted."

Clack said Abad already has ample interaction with the student body.

"Student Activities covers all campuswide clubs, the SA and GSA advising, and leadership," Clack said. "Leadership Rice is Abad's program, as well as Women LEAD and Lunch and Leads."

Clack said that while Abad will still contribute to Student Activities, a new job search will be conducted to help smooth Abad's transition into her new position.

"We're going to hire an associate director of student activities to take on some of the duties that [Abad's] going to have to vacate in taking on directing the Student Center," Clack said. "A timeline is not yet clear, but I imagine that the search for associate director will start sometime in January."

The Hoot General Manager Mattie Pena said that despite not having a Student Center director working closely with student-run businesses during the search process, the center still functioned smoothly. 

"Beckwith's departure was definitely a loss for the Hoot, as his presence has been a part of our business," Pena, a Martel College junior, said. "The Hoot will miss him, but we know he had a great opportunity to use his skills elsewhere. The Hoot is grateful for our advisers [Student Center Assistant Director for Marketing] Erin Willey and [Student Center Assistant Director for Student Businesses] Kerim Davis, who helped make this transition easier for everyone involved."

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