Syracuse University will soon begin its fourth ongoing national search for a dean.

Chris Walsh, dean of financial aid and scholarship programs, said Thursday he would be stepping down at the end of the month to become a special assistant to Vice President for Enrollment Management Donald Saleh.

Kaye DeVesty, current associate dean of financial aid, will hold Walsh’s position on an interim basis while the university conducts a nationwide search, Walsh said. The search committee has not been announced.

The university is also currently trying to fill the position at The College of Arts and Sciences, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and the School of Information Studies. SU is also searching for a new director of fraternity and sorority affairs.

In the new position, Walsh said he will continue to work closely with the office of financial aid but will focus on becoming a liaison to outside organizations that help students from predominantly low-income neighborhoods attend college.

‘I see a need there for the university, and it’s something I care about,’ Walsh said in an interview Thursday. ‘We need to be more out in the community.’

Walsh specifically mentioned Syracuse Challenge, a program that allows eighth graders in Syracuse to enter a contract with the university. If they go on to graduate high school with an 85 percent average and score at least an 1100 – using the outdated 1600 – on their SATs, they are automatically admitted into Arts and Sciences, according to the university Web site.

When asked what his goals are, Walsh said he will make sure students have proper access to all the financial aid resources SU has to offer. He said he wants to continue helping students apply for financial aid and similar programs, while working with parents whose son or daughter may be the first in the family to attend a university.

‘It’s an opportunity for me to work more directly and more focused in helping students and families make the transition,’ Walsh said.

The ultimate goal, Walsh said, is to give SU a more diverse population by socioeconomic and geographic standards.

Walsh has worked at SU since 1980. In 1988, he became the leader of the office of financial aid and scholarship programs. DeVesty, Walsh’s interim replacement, has worked at the university since 1977.

Published on September 8, 2007 at 12:00 pm