Duke Student Affairs announced a new three-person leadership team to oversee the responsibilities typically managed by the dean of students in a Wednesday morning email to students.
Jeanna McCullers will assume the position of assistant vice president of student affairs, policy and governance, and Clay Adams will serve as assistant vice president of student affairs, programs and education beginning Sept. 16. University administration is still seeking an interim clinical teams manager.
“This team invests in maintaining a safe and supportive campus environment for our undergraduate, graduate and professional students on and off campus,” wrote Mary Pat McMahon, vice provost and vice president of student affairs, in the email.
The Wednesday announcement is the first public statement from University administration about the future of the dean of students position since The Chronicle reported in July that Stacey Harris would not be assuming the role.
The University announced Harris’ selection for the position in June, with her term slated to begin July 15. However, McMahon announced in an internal July 18 email to student affairs staff that Harris would not be joining the administration.
The University did not share a reason for the decision, nor whether it was made by the administration or Harris herself. An Instagram account under Harris’ name reported being made aware of the decision by July 12.
Harris previously served as the dean of students at The College of William and Mary.
According to the Wednesday email, the dean of students team manages “student health and well-being services, including crisis intervention, health and counseling, on-call support, student transitions, community standards and residential education.”
McCullers now serves as senior associate dean of students. In her new role, she will oversee the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards, DukeReach, Gender Violence Outreach and Education and Crisis Response.
Adams is currently assistant vice president of student affairs. Starting Sept. 16, he will lead programs including DuWell, New Student and Family Programs and Residential Education to “help [students] balance [their] social, residential and academic life in a way that’s meaningful and enjoyable.”
The third position, which has yet to be filled, will encompass managerial responsibilities for Student Health and Counseling and Psychological Services.
The new troika will take over from Debbie Heida, who has served as interim associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students since last fall. She first joined the student affairs team in October 2023 to assist in the transition period after the previous dean, John Blackshear, announced he would leave Duke in January to serve as vice president of the University of Rochester.
McMahon noted that Heida would remain on campus through the fall as a “consultant” to aid in the transition process.
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Zoe Kolenovsky is a Trinity junior and news editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.