Mount Reorganizes Office of Student Development

With the advent of students returning, Mount St. Mary’s College recently reorganized the office of student development. Under the reorganization, the Division of Student Development now encompasses the office of campus life, wellness center, department of public safety and intercultural development. Six positions have been recreated to meet the changing needs and demands of the Mount’s students.

The former functions of the office of student development were changed creating the office of campus life. Michael Zoll, dean of student development, explained this restructuring began two-years ago at the request of Mount St. Mary’s Board Trustees and President George R. Houston to "place professional staff in-residence." Zoll added, "Two years ago, we hired four administrators who lived in the residence halls and had direct oversight for their residential areas. We also shifted more human and financial resources to student activities in order to create more social options on weekend evenings and created a new student position (community assistant) to provide greater student input into campus programs and activities."

Among the new appointments are Jason I. Lambert, director of campus life; Stephanie M. Adams, assistant director of campus life (residence education); John Standard, assistant director of campus life (residence education); Jaclyn L. Bellotti, assistant director of campus life (student involvement); Christopher Conzen, assistant director of campus life (student involvement); and Melinda Moz, assistant director of wellness (alcohol and other drug prevention and education).

As director of campus life, Lambert’s main responsibility will be to "provide visionary leadership for residence education and student involvement." The office of campus life has been assigned the leadership of both residence education (administration of the residence halls, supervision of student staff, student conduct adjudication) and student involvement (student activities, orientation, leadership, advising student government and class officers, clubs and organizations) under Lambert. 

Lambert received a B.A. in economics from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1992 and a M.Ed. in counseling and personnel services, college student personnel emphasis, from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1994. From 1995-96, he served as fraternity advisor for Louisiana State University. In August of 1996, Lambert moved to the University of Evansville (Indiana) to become coordinator of Greek life and an area coordinator, managing student residential life. In 1998, he was appointed assistant dean of students at Evansville and in 2000 he accepted an additional post as director of residence life.

As assistant directors of campus life (residence education), Adams and Standard will be responsible for residence education, which primarily involves training, supervising, and evaluating the student residence life staff. They will also oversee daily operations in a residential area, home to over 500 students. Adams and Standard will also be responsible for conflict resolution and crisis management as well as the adjudication of student disciplinary hearings.

Adams comes to the Mount from Western Illinois University where she served as assistant complex director for Higgins Hall, a residence hall with nearly 900 students, while completing her requirements for an M.S. in college student personnel. She also holds a B.S. in education from Central Missouri State University. At Central Missouri State she was assistant residence hall director, a conference staff assistant, and a community staff advisor.

Standard recently left his position in the office of residence life at the University of Evansville, Indiana to join the Mount campus life staff. In this capacity he oversaw the day-to-day operation of a residence hall housing 275 students, as well as supervising nine staff members and serving as the chief judicial officer for that particular hall. Standard hold s a B.S. in global business from University of Evansville.

As assistant directors of campus life (student involvement), Bellotti and Conzen have many responsibilities, centered around the formation of student involvement programs and the overseeing of the new McGowan Student Center, slated for a fall 2002 completion date. They will also be responsible for the selection, training and supervision of twelve community program assistants as well as twenty-five student orientation leaders. Belloti and Conzen will also be in charge of planning two Mount traditions: Commencement Week and Family Weekend.

Bellotti also holds an M.S. in college student personnel from Western Illinois University, as well as a B.A. in communication from The State University of New York at Geneseo. She has served a variety of campus leadership positions including graduate assistant in the office of student activities at Western Illinois, interim hall director at the University of Colorado’s main campus at Boulder, Graduate assistant for college student personnel recruiting, resident director/advisor of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority, and advisor in the department of athletic advising all at Western Illinois. 

Conzen holds an M.Ed. in college student personnel from the University of Maryland and a B.A. in social work from the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. While at Maryland, he was a graduate advisor for student entertainment events and a house director for Beta Theta Pi fraternity. At CUA, Conzen served as North Campus President of the Residence Hall Association and as a resident assistant, and was a member of the RA Selection Committee.

Moz, the new assistant director of wellness, will be primarily in charge of alcohol and drug prevention and education. Although this position is not newly funded, it has been moved in the team model. Zoll stated, "It is a big step forward for the Mount to have a dedicated coordinator in this area. Melinda will be aligned with the Wellness Center’s effort to educate through prevention, and will work closely with others at the college who have a vested interest in reducing substance use." 

Moz received a B.A. in human services from Northeastern University in Boston in 1998 and an M.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1995. She has a wide background of experience including North quad director in the residence life office at Brandeis University in Waltham, Mass., residence life coordinator and community service coordinator at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pa., and graduate assistant in the student affairs office at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Pa.).

Zoll is excited about seeing the reorganization come to fruition. "This is a highly skilled and energetic team. They bring terrific experiences from the institutions they have been affiliated with. They have been working very hard to launch all of the programs and activities for which we are responsible. Working with our students leaders, they want to make some changes to systems and procedures that will serve to improve campus life."

Mount St. Mary’s, founded in 1808, is the oldest independent Catholic college, and second-oldest seminary in the United States.