NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Dr. Colette Geary, Vice President for Student Services at The College of New Rochelle (CNR) announced the appointment of Elaine T. White as the College’s new Dean of Students.
In making the appointment, Dr. Geary said, “The Dean of Students position is vital to our ability to continuously enhance the student experience across our campuses. Elaine White is a dynamic leader who challenges students to fully develop their potential, while ensuring that they are guided and supported in appropriate ways. She is an especially adept collaborator and problem-solver, who will always be attuned to the student voice.”
Dean White will oversee areas and programs especially related to supporting students in their diverse needs and to increasing their engagement in meaningful out-of-classroom experiences that support their personal growth. She will oversee the Office of Student Development which serves both commuter and resident students, providing a range of co-curricular and extracurricular offerings. She will also supervise the offices of Counseling and Health Services, including the Disability Services program, and will provide outreach to all campuses.
In accepting the position, Ms. White said, “I’m enthused to have administrative leadership in a College as mission and student centered as The College of New Rochelle. I have found the members of the CNR Community to be incredibly warm and welcoming. I see my role essentially as being responsible for promoting student satisfaction and success in a wide variety of ways.”
Dean White brings more than 20 years of student services experience in the private college setting with her to CNR. She has a proven track record of producing positive student outcomes and cultivating a community with a global perspective and a respect for diversity while maintaining the students’ sense of individuality.
Dean White has held positions with increasing levels of responsibility throughout her tenure at institutions of higher learning, mostly recently that of Director of Student Development at Manhattan College. As Director, she embraced the responsibility of advocating for student concerns, providing training, supervision and mentorship to both staff and students and serving in an administrative leadership capacity with a focus on enhancing a student-centered community. Dean White has demonstrated a consistent ability to empower and inspire student leaders and to challenge students to achieve the full development of their individual talents and a greater understanding of themselves.
She has contributed at the highest level of the institution to strategic planning and retention efforts, providing valuable input for both the regional and the national marketing position of the institution in the field of Student Affairs. Beyond the campus, Ms. White was elected to a national leadership position for the American College Personnel Association and served on Middle State re-accreditation teams.