Dear Colleagues:
I hope your first days of the fall semester are off to a great start. I write today with some important administrative updates, which I will also address at Fall Convocation tomorrow afternoon.
Office of the General Counsel
As I shared a few weeks ago, John Christopher’s final day as Monmouth’s Vice President and General Counsel is Friday, September 9. For the immediate future, the Office of Human Resources will function as a stand-alone unit, with our Associate Vice President for Human Resources, Robyn Salvo, reporting directly to me. Effective Monday, September 12, Charlene Diana will assume the role of Acting Vice President and General Counsel to oversee the Office of the General Counsel, protecting the University’s legal interests and managing the University’s legal affairs. Charlene will also be responsible for managing the Office of Equity and Diversity, the Office of Internal Audit, and the Office of Compliance.
A 17-year veteran of the Office of the General Counsel, Charlene first joined Monmouth in 2005 as a part-time staff attorney, and soon after became full-time. She was promoted to Assistant General Counsel in 2009, and promoted again in 2013 to Associate General Counsel, focusing on matters that could have legal implications for the University’s policies and procedures, contractual obligations, insurance, operations, and governance.
Charlene was a first-generation college student and has chosen to dedicate her legal career to higher education since she knows first-hand the power and impact of a college degree. Her commitment both to access and to student success make her an excellent candidate for the position of Acting Vice President and General Counsel, and I am so pleased that Charlene will be the first female in our University’s history to serve in this important leadership role.
Campus Planning and Facilities Management
Some of you may not yet know that Bill Siemer will be stepping down as Monmouth’s Executive Director for Campus Planning and Facilities Management to relocate out-of-state and be closer to family. Bill’s last day at Monmouth is also Friday, September 9. Since joining Monmouth just over a year ago, Bill has been responsible for overseeing many significant enhancements to our campus. Under his leadership, we have revitalized and reprogrammed the Great Hall, successfully opened the Parson Café, completed construction on the Parton Broadcasting Center at the OceanFirst Bank Center, and relocated and enhanced several areas of strategic importance to the University: 1) the Career Development Center; 2) the Intercultural Center and Educational Opportunity Fund Offices; and 3) the Alumni House.
Effective Monday, September 12, Tim Orr will serve as Acting Executive Director for Campus Planning and Facilities Management. Tim has dedicated nearly 26 years of service to Monmouth working in construction and facilities, first as Project Engineer and later as Director of Facilities for Technical Services. Most recently, he has worked as Construction Manager, helping both to maintain our buildings and grounds and to thoughtfully develop our campus infrastructure to provide a safe, state-of-the-art learning environment for our students. I am confident that Tim’s institutional knowledge coupled with his background in mechanical engineering position him well for success in this new role.
Please join me in thanking John Christopher and Bill Siemer for their service to the University, while at the same time congratulating Charlene Diana and Tim Orr for their acting appointments to these leadership roles. It is both gratifying and reassuring that we have such a deep talent pool at Monmouth from which to draw for openings such as these. In the short term, Charlene and Tim will report directly to me, and I will use the coming months to determine the best search process for the permanent positions of Vice President and General Counsel and Executive Director for Campus Planning and Facilities Management. As part of our ongoing efforts to adjust Monmouth’s organizational structure in relation to the declining student demographic, there are no immediate plans to fill the positions that will be vacated by Charlene and Tim during their acting appointments.
Thank you in advance for your support of these transitions. As always, if you have questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me directly. I hope to see you at Fall Convocation tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Pat
Dr. Patrick F. Leahy
President