The appointment is effective August 1, and concludes a national search to replace Janis L. Coates, who retired as Hamilton's chief student affairs officer in 1999 after 10 years at the residential liberal arts college. Nancy R. Thompson, senior associate dean of students, served as the college's acting dean during the 1999-2000 academic year and will return to her former post.
"Flossie Mitchell is an experienced student affairs practitioner and a thoughtful and persistent advocate for students," said Hamilton President Eugene M. Tobin. "It is a pleasure to welcome her back to Hamilton."
Tobin said he was particularly impressed with Mitchell's leadership capabilities as tested in a variety of higher education settings. "Flossie has had a positive impact on student life wherever she has served," he said.
As Hamilton's chief student affairs officer, Mitchell will report directly to Tobin and serve as one of the six officers of the college. She will oversee a staff of 52 and provide direction for a division whose responsibilities include residential life, career placement, multicultural affairs, the chaplaincy, campus safety, health services and athletic training, student activities, the adventure program, study abroad programs, and counseling and psychological services.
"I have a great deal of respect for Hamilton College," said Mitchell, "and I am excited about returning to the campus. I believe Hamilton is heading in some very positive directions under Gene Tobin's inspiring leadership."
Mitchell said the current student life staff at Hamilton is another strength for the college. "The staff at Hamilton is a tremendous asset. My challenge will be to help them to another level, but the student life area is clearly functioning from a point of strength."
Mitchell comes to Hamilton after serving seven years at SUNY Morrisville, a two-year residential public college with a student body of approximately 2,800, where she reports to the president and is credited with building a strong and effective student affairs team. Prior to that appointment in 1993, she was associate dean of the college from 1992-93 and dean of students from 1989-92 at Colgate University.
A native of the Thousand Islands community of LaFargeville, Mitchell has also served as dean of students at Westminster Choir College in New Jersey, associate dean of students at Grinnell College in Iowa, and residence hall director and counselor at Capital University in Ohio. During her first tenure at Hamilton in the late 1970s and early 1980s she was responsible for residential programs, the women's center and new student orientation.
Having been at Hamilton previously, Mitchell said she recognizes the importance of student life professionals working closely with faculty members to create a better experience for students. "We are all educators," Mitchell said. "It is very important for us to work together, to communicate openly and to understand as much as we can about what each of us does to support our students." She said she has spent most of her professional life working on small campuses because that type of communication and educational philosophy is much more possible in such an environment. A 1972 graduate of the State University of New York at Potsdam, Mitchell received a master's degree in counseling and guidance from St. Lawrence University in 1973. Her Ph.D., from Syracuse University in 1987, is in counselor education with an emphasis on cross-cultural issues.Mitchell, her partner, Dick Black, and son, Derek, will reside in Clinton.
