Campus Update - April 11, 2022

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Laurentian community,

As we approach the middle of April and the weather is warming up, I write with three campus updates that include a list of faculty tenure and promotions, the search committee for the General Counsel position, and the announcement of our base comprehensive fee for the academic year 2022-2023.

First, I would like to congratulate six faculty members, who were recently approved for tenure and promotion to the rank of associate professor by the Board of Trustees effective September 1, 2022. 

  • Cristian Armendariz-Picon, Physics
  • Damon Berry, Religious Studies
  • Mert Kartal, Government
  • Sarah Knobel, Art and Art History
  • Jessica Sierk, Education
  • Elyssa Twedt, Psychology

Earning tenure is a true milestone in one’s academic career and represents significant accomplishments in the area of teaching, scholarship, and service across a sustained period of time. Please join me in congratulating these members of our faculty on their professional success.

I am pleased to announce that in concert with the recommendations of the Experience St. Lawrence Task Force, we are embarking on a search for the University’s first General Counsel. In doing so, we anticipate receiving better and more efficient legal services and reducing our legal expenditures. The University has retained Storbeck Search and managing director Susan VanGilder to facilitate our search process.   I am grateful that the following individuals have agreed to serve on the General Counsel search committee:

  • Tim Simpson ‘80, Trustee and chair
  • Howard Eissenstat, Associate Professor of History
  • Kimberly Flint-Hamilton, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion and Interim Title IX Coordinator
  • Sharee Freeman ‘76, Trustee
  • Colleen Manley, Director of Human Resources, Employee Labor Relations
  • Aswini Pai, Associate Professor of Biology
  • Tom Pynchon, Vice President for University Advancement
  • Paul Redfern, Vice President for University Communications and Institutional Strategy 
  • Alexander Reyes ‘23, Thelmo President
  • Eric Shinnick, Executive Director of Finance

Finally, during their winter meeting, the Trustees voted to establish our base comprehensive fee for the academic year 2022-2023 at $78,015, an increase of 3.0% over the prior year. I firmly believe that the St. Lawrence experience is worth the investment. We provide an exceptional liberal arts education and focus on developing each student’s knowledge, creativity, competence, and ability to network with peers and professional mentors. This combination has proven itself—for generations—as a vital, lifelong asset to every Laurentian.

I wish you all the best for what remains of the spring semester, and I look forward to seeing you at the many traditions and events that occur as the school year comes to a close and we move toward Commencement.

Sincerely,

Kate Morris