Dean of Students Jamele Adams announced in an email to the Department of Student Life that Director of Student Activities Stephanie Grimes and Director of the Intercultural Center Monique Pillow-Gnanaratnam will be promoted to the positions of assistant deans.

According to Adams in the email, two assistant deans have become "part of our design in the Office of the Dean of Students."

"These positions are part of a reorganizing of departments to best serve our students and meet goals of the strategic plan," explained Adams in an email to the Justice.

According to Adams, Grimes and Pillow-Gnanaratnam will continue to fulfill all their duties as directors while assuming new responsibilities in their roles as assistant deans. In an email to the Justice, Grimes wrote that she will now oversee New Student Orientation and "join the Dean's Office team in assisting with the daily management of issues that challenge our student body as well as assisting in crisis situations.

"Students should also see increased collaboration between Student Activities and Admissions which creates the opportunity to create synergy between our recruitment and retention efforts," she wrote. Pillow-Gnanaratnam was not able to respond to the Justice by press time.

According to Adams' email to the Office of Student Life, Grimes has worked at Brandeis for 16 years, and was previously in Community Living as a quad director before working in Student Activities. Before directing the ICC, Pillow-Gnanaratnam worked at Northeastern University as its director for off-campus student services and later as assistant director for orientation.

Grimes said she has already begun assuming her new responsibilities and is being "integrated into the Dean's Office."
Grimes wrote that she is "very excited" about her new role. "It will expand my knowledge base on campus," she wrote. 

"Hopefully I can make a larger impact on student life at Brandeis, and I can use the my 16 years of experience at Brandeis to learn from the past to create a [sic.]impact in the future," Grimes continued.

"[T]hese promotions are exciting for our students and community," wrote Adams in his email to the Justice. "Brandeis will continue to appreciate the experience, wisdom, energy and love Stephanie and Monique have for our students, student development and student success."

This change to the Office of Student Life follows changes to its leadership within the past year. Adams was appointed as Dean of Students over the summer, after University President Frederick Lawrence announced that Dean of Student Life Rick Sawyer would be leaving Brandeis after 32 years.