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Sept. 18, 2006
Riordan named new dean of students

BY Staff reports

Bridget Guernsey Riordan, currently assistant vice president of Campus Life, has been named dean of students for Campus Life, effective Oct. 1.

In making the appointment, Senior Vice President and Dean for Campus Life John L. Ford said that Riordan will be the point person for addressing student issues. “In this role she will be able to help students directly through her knowledge and 14 years of experience at Emory,” he said.

The dean of students will serve as the primary connection between Campus Life and students, and will be a resource for individual student concerns. Riordan will promote University community standards and will collaborate with other University-wide units to help students address a range of issues.

As a part of Campus Life, she will play a role in nurturing and supporting an environment that is committed to modeling and teaching holistic well-being, ethical leadership, community service and global citizenship.
In her current role as assistant vice president, Riordan supervises areas that are typically located within a university’s dean of students purview, including the offices of International Student and Scholar Programs; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Life; Multicultural Programs and Services; Sorority and Fraternity Life; and Student Development.

Riordan will continue to oversee these areas, but some of her current responsibilities will be shifted to allow her to devote more time to meeting with students. The dean of students position has been vacant for several years, but was reactivated as the result of an external review of Campus Life conducted during the spring semester. The recommendation was a more centralized approach to address student issues.

Riordan has previously served the University as Director of Student Activities and Assistant to the Senior Vice President. She has chaired a strategic planning committee and the campus climate survey initiatives. Prior to her arrival at Emory, Riordan received her Ph.D. in higher education from the University of Pittsburgh, Master of Education degree from the University of Cincinnati, and Bachelor of Science degree from Ball State University.

“The University can be a complex place. I want to break down those complexities for our students,” Riordan said. “Through formal and informal gatherings, I plan to help students and listen to their needs.

“Holding the title of Dean of Students is an incredible honor and, I believe, the best job at the University,” Riordan said. “And with this job comes great responsibility. I look forward to working with our students to help them achieve their goals and aspirations.”

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