Since he arrived at Dean College in the Summer of 2022, President Kenneth Elmore has made it his mission to connect with the Dean community. Elmore can often be found talking to students, participating in and leading on-campus events, and leading discussions with the community. Before Thanksgiving Break, Elmore invited the Dean to engage in meaningful discussion about global and even local events in Ray House.
President Elmore explained that he scheduled open hours of conversation for the Dean community to speak openly with someone who would listen.
“I think it’s important that we be proactive in giving ourselves space to talk about issues. We know the recent conflict/war that is going on in the Middle East has gotten people anxious and fearful,” Elmore explained. “I wanted just to give people the chance to talk to someone, I like talking to people. What I think is useful in a community is to have regular spaces and times to talk about what is going on in that day, and to confront these difficult, complex, not black, and white conversations head on”, Elmore continued.
President Elmore explained that he would like to continue having open forums of discussion for the Dean community, whether it involved him or not. Elmore also stressed the importance of open dialogue, especially about global topics, and that people should be able to talk to, and not at each other.
“I am used to a weekly coffee and conversation where we pull people together in a space, and we would talk about issues of the day and would usually throw a set of questions out for people. It was a discussion space, we would always try to make sure we could see each other, not like traditional rows you may see in a classroom, but more circular. I think there’s some value in making this a regular kind of thing, whether it is weekly or monthly, but I do think there is some good value in it,” Elmore said about the importance of regular discussion forums and their benefits.
To learn more about President Elmore and his role at Dean College, visit Dean’s website about the Office of the President here. For more information about upcoming events at Dean College, visit today.dean.edu.
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