“This unexpected opportunity arose after Dr. Bruce Roscoe decided to return to his faculty position in the HEV (Human Environmental Studies) Department a few weeks ago,” Voisin said in an email. “I have spent my career here at Central Michigan University serving students and am very excited to be able to continue to do so in this important role as Interim Dean of Students.”

Voisin was also involved with the Take Care Initiative on campus several years ago, defined as encouragement for students and other members of the CMU community to pay attention to what is going on around them, notice potentially serious situations, and respond to the best of their ability to influence a better outcome.

“The initiative is a way to get people to look out for themselves and others, to make good decisions, and to get help from others when needed,” Voisin said on CMU’s public relations website.

The Dean of Students Office is located in Ronan 290.

“Please join me in congratulating Tony on his interim appointment,” Shapiro said.

Currently senior vice president for Strategic Positioning at Upper Iowa University, Khoury is the final of three candidates interviewing for the job, holding an open forum on Friday.

“If you can get degree audits (online) it doesn’t replace advising,” he said. “Automation becomes key. Students can still communicate with online self-service and it doesn’t take away from (one-on-one) advising.”

Khoury said he has previously implemented online audits at other jobs. He said the fear is job elimination, though “the reality is job enhancement.”

“I consider it to be very important,” he said.

The position of vice president of enrollment and student services was created in January during a restructuring of University President George Ross’ vice presidential cabinet.

The position entails reporting to the president, being responsible for graduation rates, student retention, student enrollment goals, marketing responsibilities and keeping the university competitive, according to previously published reports.

Khoury explained his management style and said something very important to him is explaining why something needs to be done, rather than insisting it be accomplished without reasoning. It is crucial to not only good morale but also to seeing results, he said.

An issue facing the incoming vice president is whether or not to hire a new dean of students to replace Bruce Roscoe, who will go back to teaching.

“I do not know enough (specifically) about the university, but the dean of students has a role on a campus of this size,” Khoury said. “How this position is reconfigured is to be looked at. By the adding of a vice president of enrollment and student services, I’m hoping a dean of students will have more time to make sure students are heard.”

In many cases students have to fight battles, and hopefully they will not with a dean of students as an advocate, he said.

Denise McBride, lead SAP analyst, said Khoury has good experience and his skills would transfer to CMU’s environment.

“I liked him a lot,” she said.

Khoury also said the university needs to re-examine how it approaches diversity and suggested looking at curriculum as a way to encourage minority growth.

He said the university also must re-evaluate how it grows as a whole, because unlimited exponential growth is not “sustainable.”

“If you want to grow for growth’s sake you might be in trouble,” he said.

Khoury has previously worked at Culver Stockton College and Paul Smith’s College in similar enrollment management positions He received his undergraduate degree from University of Maine- Fort Kent, his M.B.A. at the University of Maine, and a D.B.A. from the University of Phoenix

Eileen Coughlin, vice president for student affairs and academic support services at Western Washington University and Daniel Shelley, assistant vice president for enrollment management and director of undergraduate admissions at the Rochester Institute of Technology are also finalists for the job.

The two discuss sports, movies, what they did over the weekend and anything else which comes to mind.

“We just talk, we mostly watch ESPN, sports,” Hoffman said.

The 17-year-old Mount Pleasant resident is in his fourth year at Oasis Alternative High School, 3350 S. Isabella Road. He and Moreno have been eating lunch together all semester.

Moreno started volunteering at Oasis last semester as part of HDF 219: Field Work for family studies or child development majors, she said. She had to perform 60 hours of volunteer work, so she volunteered at Oasis and at a preschool.

“I really like all the teachers there,” she said. “All the kids are very nice and I like being able to help any way I can.”

Hoffman and Moreno both enjoy the one-on-one time offered through the new lunch buddies program.

This is the first year Oasis has had the program, said Counselor Laura Gourlay.

Many seniors start volunteering at Oasis their last semester at Central Michigan University and then have to leave, Gourlay said. She started the lunch buddy program this year to attract more sophomores and juniors, who will be able to volunteer at the school longer.

“I met with (Dean of Students) Bruce Roscoe … and mentioned that I wanted to … tap into the resource that (CMU) is,” she said. “I love the idea of (CMU) students being involved in what we have going on here.”

Gourlay said she tries to match students to their interests. Though the school is perfect for human growth and development, sociology, psychology and youth studies majors, she is willing to work with anyone.

One of the hardest workers, she said, was a nutrition major who would bring in materials to make smoothies or fresh fruit and teach students about healthy eating.

“I love the idea of putting what you’re learning in the classroom into practice,” she said. “It’s one thing to study it in a textbook, but it’s another thing to be (here).”

Gorlay thinks the college students are a good influence on her students, giving them someone to talk to about the college experience and breaking down the stereotypes local students may have of college life.

She said even though college students and high school students are only a few years apart, they come from virtually different worlds — worlds with more than enough common ground for Moreno and Hoffman.

Hoffman said he was not looking forward to spending another two years in high school as he wants to finish more classes and finish sooner.

“I didn’t really like high school either all that much,” Moreno said. “I feel like at that age you’re more willing to talk to someone closer to your age.”

Roscoe, having served in the position for more than 16 years, has exemplified how important the position is to this university and its students.

For years, Roscoe has been an advocate for students and their organizations, and this newspaper is a prime example. Whenever CM Life has won awards, taken on an important issue or covered something crucial to campus, he has always been there to congratulate its staff.

As illustrated in a previous article, he has been integral in the development of student-oriented programs at CMU, including Sexual Aggression Services, the Centralis Scholarship, the Leadership Institute and the Volunteer Center, just to name a few.

CMU should not underestimate how important it is for this position to be filled even after the hiring of a new vice president. The Dean of Students is a person who students should be able to count on when they have a problem on campus. Like Roscoe, the dean must be there when students need his or her help, advice or counsel.

As Brittany Mouzarakis told CM Life, Roscoe was a constant supporter of the Student Government Association and praised them when programs such as the new pro bono clinic were created.

This type of support is imperative for the success of students and their organizations. If they are not supported by the administration, they could be disillusioned with what they can do on campus.

The programs Roscoe helped bring to life have been consistently successful because of the support they have received over the years. Roscoe has said the Volunteer Center has reached out past the boundaries of CMU’s campus and into the surrounding communities to make a difference.

If not for support from Roscoe and others at CMU, the program might not have been successful, but instead it is making a legitimate impact on the Mount Pleasant community.

June 30 is not far off and finding a replacement for Roscoe should be very near the top of the to-do list. Students need an administrator that will stick up for them and their needs and, while there can never be a true replacement for Roscoe, CMU should do its best to make sure it hires someone who will advocate for students in a way no one else has.

Roscoe tendered his resignation to Provost Gary Shapiro on Monday morning after much thought and deliberation between his wife and him. He said he did not make the decision lightly, but he is satisfied with it.

He said, contrary to rumors he heard, he was never asked to resign by the administration.

“I gave a lot of thought and reflection on my personal life and my professional activities here,” Roscoe said. “(I) thought a lot about where the university is going, this is a transitional time.”

Shapiro said Roscoe’s commitment to students allowed him to push for his myriad initiatives at CMU.

“He has been the student-faculty liaison and a major factor in a lot of student services on campus,” Shapiro said. “I’m going to miss working with him.”

Roscoe said he is most proud of four changes made in his time as dean: The Volunteer Center, the Leadership Institute, Sexual Aggression Services and the Centralis Scholarship.

He said he was involved with former Associate Dean of Students Mike Owens in creating the Centralis Scholarship Program when he was the director of the Honors Program in 1989.

The scholarship program has had a significant impact on the university, Roscoe said, because of the high-quality students it has brought to CMU.

“We’ve succeeded in bringing more high-quality students, more highly academically prepared students to CMU,” Roscoe said. “I’m very, very pleased that I was able to be a part of that.”

Helping students, community

He helped develop the Volunteer Center which has been one of the biggest contributers to volunteer work on and off CMU’s campus.

He said without it, much of the work in Isabella County would not be done.

“It has made a tremendous difference at CMU and has really enhanced our students’ involvement beyond the campus, and has positively served Mount Pleasant and Isabella County,” Roscoe said. “I have no doubt Mount Pleasant is a better place to live because of the involvement of our students.”

Roscoe said he would not have been able to accomplish the things he did without the help of others on campus. He worked closely with Director of Admissions Betty Wagner in creating the Leadership Institute, he said.

Student Government Association President Brittany Mouzourakis, a Garden City senior, said the Leadership Institute was crucial in helping her develop as a leader both on and off campus. She also said it was essential in the development of her networking skills.

“It has helped shape me into the leader I am today,” Mouzourakis said. “It really helped me develop my leadership style.”

Roscoe said development of Sexual Assault Services and associated programs such as Sexual Aggression Peer Advocates created a much more supportive environment on campus. He said the programs give students who have been affected by sexual aggression an avenue to get the support they need.

“It started out focused solely on dealing with traditional sexual aggression, but it has become much more broad and includes now all aspects of interpersonal mistreatment,” Roscoe said.

In an emailed statement, Michael Rao, who served as CMU president for nine years until 2009, said Roscoe’s intensity, intelligence and personal commitment are “unmatchable.”

“(CMU) has been extraordinarily fortunate to have Bruce’s leadership over these years,” wrote Rao, who is now president of Virginia Commonwealth University. “Students will benefit for many generations from Bruce’s career.”

As a dean, Roscoe said he hopes he is remembered as at least a competent, good guy.

“Hopefully I made a difference,” he said.

The next step

Roscoe intends to return to the classroom to teach human environmental studies courses as early as January 2012.

He said he has a lot of work to do over the summer to prepare for teaching again, but it will be worth it.

“It is kind of nice how cyclical everything is,” Roscoe said. “I’m very happy with my decision.”

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe has resigned from his role to return to teaching in the human environmental studies department.

Provost Gary Shapiro announced Roscoe’s resignation on Tuesday in an email to the campus community.

Roscoe said the decision came after extensive discussion with his family. He said this was the right choice for him at this time in his life.

“There’s a lot of changes occurring at Central and this seems an appropriate time to leave the position,” he said. “The decision is totally mine and my wife’s.”

Roscoe will return June 30 to a faculty position. Although he is uncertain about what he will teach specifically, he said he is excited to begin again.

“I’m looking forward to it and I’m apprehensive,” Roscoe said. “It’s been over 20 years, so I’ll have to re-familiarize myself.”

Roscoe served as Dean of Students for 16 years. He has been at Central Michigan University for 30 years where he has previously taught and led the Honors Program.

Shapiro said the university will “wait and see” before hiring a new Dean of Students. The decision will lie with the new vice president of Enrollment and Student Services after being hired following a national search.

The new vice president will report directly to the president and is responsible for student enrollment goals, student retention and graduation rates, marketing responsibilities and keeping the university competitive.

“We’ll see exactly what we do as we plan for the future,” Shapiro said.

Roscoe said he and Shapiro had been discussing the options for a while. Shapiro said he regretfully accepted Roscoe’s resignation.

“I’ve worked with him over the years … he runs his office very well and he has always put students as a priority,” Shapiro said. “He has always represented the interest of students in various venues very effectively.”

Roscoe said he plans to retire at CMU.

Timothy Boudreau, associate professor of journalism, said Roscoe was “fair-minded, decent and a competent fellow.”

“He was one of the good-guy administrators,” Boudreau said. “He listened to what you had to say and was respectful.”

Michael Papa, professor of communications and dramatic arts, said when he was chair of the CDA department he was around Roscoe far more than he is now and Roscoe was great at his job.

“He was excellent at his job,” Papa said.  ”Sometimes, people in administrative positions occasionally decide to return to teaching.”

Vision 20/20 is an intergovernmental and economic development organization of community leaders in Isabella County.

Quality of Life Chairman Mark Smith announced plans for the committee’s Mid-Michigan Community Pathways project, which would focus on connecting the existing Pere Marquette Rail-Trail in Clare to the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail in Alma and Ionia Pathway in Ithaca.

“This is a wonderful opportunity that is just getting started and a lot of background work is being done to create this exciting trail project,” Smith said.

He also gave an update on the 2011 Festival of Banners, which will be expanded with the addition of Pickard Street and downtown Main Street to Central Michigan University.

So far the festival has received 400 applications.

“This project encompasses the vision of 20/20 and what the Quality of Life Committee is all about,” said Smith.

At the conclusion of the luncheon, the award of excellence in leadership was presented to Art Reach Center of Mid-Michigan, 111 E. Broadway St., for the work it has done on the banner festival.

Kathy Hill, executive director of the Art Reach Center, accepted the award.

“I’m pleased for the organization,” she said. “We’ve a put a lot into this large project with coordinating it, sending out fliers, and it’s a large undertaking.”

Bruce Roscoe, dean of students and chair of the Education Committee, discussed its work in promoting education in Isabella County.

There is a need for people moving to the Mount Pleasant area to know about the education opportunities available, he said.

“Our committee has been answering and responding when schools approach us with a need,” Roscoe said.

David Burdette, vice president of Finance and Administrative Services, also gave an update on university operations. He stood in for University President George Ross, who was ill.

Burdette said these are “exciting times for CMU.”

He discussed the importance of core values recently adopted by the board of trustees and how, for the first time, all committee meetings have been made open to the public.

Burdette also briefly discussed the recent state budget proposal and its impact on CMU.

CMU has tried to maintain a conservative budget with many of its employees taking wage freezes, he said.

He addressed the postponed opening of the College of Medicine. The college will enhance the other academic programs for all students, he said.

“This is an important opportunity for the region and we want to make sure we do it right,” Burdette said.

The university will work with a number of hospitals, including Central Michigan Community Hospital, for clinical training.

The Livonia senior’s moniker came from his mutton chops, a style of grown-out sideburn, before enrolling at Central Michigan University. It stuck.

Knopsnider posted pictures of every style of facial hair he could imagine on the doors of his Celani residents as well as a board filled with facial-hair facts and famous faces. He said one resident even changed up his whiskers to match the style on his door.

“Most of the time, I get introduced as ‘Chops,’” Knopsnider said. “It’s slowly becoming my actual name.”

A sibling rivalry also motivated his current style of facial hair.

“My brother had sideburns, but they weren’t as big,” Knopsnider said. “Being the younger brother, I wanted to top him. So I grew them out and it stuck.”

Knopsnider said he has had straight sideburns, a mustache, a full beard, mutton chops, “friendly” mutton chops, a Fu Manchu and a Fu Manchu with sideburns. He said facial hair adds a masculine edge to a guy’s appearance and hopes every man tries it for at least a bit.

“I wish every man could grow facial hair,” he said. “You could be so epic.”

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe also has prominent facial hair: A beard that extends five-and-a-half inches from his chin.

Roscoe said he is proud of the resemblance his beard lends him to famous fictional character Harry Potter’s mentor, Professor Albus Dumbledore.

“I aspire to be Dumbledore-like,” he said. “I find myself stroking my beard a lot.”

He said he has only shaved it completely a few times.

“I shaved my beard after I married my wife, and she said to me, ‘You’re not the man I married,’ so I grew it back,” Roscoe said.

Roscoe also shaved his beard when his son was born after hearing that babies don’t respond well to them, “but by the time he was two, I already had a relationship with him, so I grew it back.”

Roscoe said he trims the edges periodically, but otherwise does not plan to cut his beard unless it gets in the way of his golf swing.

When he wears jeans and a baseball cap on weekends, Roscoe said no one is surprised by the beard. But when he wears a suit, he gets looks.

“Because I’m an administrator, it’s a little different,” he said. “They don’t know how to place me in their schema.”

Hugh Halman, assistant professor of philosophy and religion, has a three-inch beard. He said he thinks he looks better with facial hair and that there is a spiritual history to beards. Jesus and Muhammad had them, he said, and many Muslims wear them in remembrance.

“Lots of my favorite religious heroes have had beards,” Halman said. “For me, it’s an intuitive thing.”

Religious symbolism inspired the entire male cast of University Theatre play “Everyman” to grow their beards out, said Shelby Township sophomore Christopher Burch, one of the actors to play the role of God.

Burch said director Neil Vanderpool, an associate professor of communication and dramatic arts, required them to stop shaving back in November. Burch said he is normally a clean-shaven actor and was not used to having a scratchy beard.

“Someone has suggested we have a shaving party when it’s over,” he said. “It’s going to be nice.”

Staff Photographer Sean Proctor contributed to this report

The University of Michigan has restricted about 2,000 people from its campus since 2001, according to documents released by the university. The high number has raised some concern and caused a review of the policy.

Department of Public Safety officers can issue trespass warnings for committing or being suspected of committing a crime at U-M, refusing or failing to follow university rules, disrupting the operation of U-M or showing a risk of physical harm.

The U-M police department told the Detroit Free Press their policy follows state trespass laws and most of the warnings issued are related to campus crimes.

CMU Police Sgt. Mike Morrow said CMU has banned very few from campus, and has had little trouble keeping out those who are.

“We have maybe five (people restricted from campus) a year, and that might be stretching it,” Morrow said.

Morrow said campus police work with Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe to prevent unwelcome individuals from trespassing.

Cheryl Roland, executive director of university relations at Western Michigan University, said the university does not keep a master list of banned individuals either.

“Occasionally there are students or people who, after a series of interaction with our public safety department, have been asked to stay away from campus, but I don’t know that we’ve actually compiled a master list of any kind,” she said.

One of the possible sanctions of WMU’s student judiciary proceedings is removing a student from the campus or residence halls for a specific amount of time, though saying a student is “banned” would not be appropriate in that scenario, Roland said.

Roscoe said safety and security are his and the CMU police’s main goals when dealing with restrictions.

“I would rather ensure safety than not,” he said.

CMU bans a handful of people from its campus each year for threats, stalking, excessive property damage or other violent behavior, he said.

Those deemed as dangerous receive a letter from Roscoe explaining the restriction and citing its cause.

Restrictions are indefinite, but may be negotiated or appealed through Roscoe.

“We are very fair about it because it is a matter of someone’s freedom,” he said. “The majority of those restricted have no business here, anyway.”

The penalty for violating the restriction is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for up to 30 days or by a $250 fine, or both, Morrow said. The penalty does not increase after multiple violations.

University Editor Carisa Seltz contributed to this report

Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe said the goal was to make more space available in the UC for students to gather between classes and in the evening.

“In order to accomplish this,” Roscoe said, “the decision was made to move student service units to another location.”

The board of trustees decided in 2008 to give the $5-million UC and $3.6-million Ronan renovations the green light. According to previously published reports, the UC renovations were estimated to be completed in July 2011.

Roscoe said the decision to move offices and renovate the UC was not prompted by a desire to better organize the delivery of student services.

“Thousands of students walk through Bovee daily on their way to and from classes,” he said. “This made it very easy for students to stop by these offices for information and assistance.”

Director of Career Services Julia Sherlock said the new location in Ronan could present challenges because of location, but the move came with benefits.

“The high ceilings and new changes in Ronan give the building a more modern feel,” Sherlock said. “It better reflects the business culture of what we represent.”

Michelle Howard, assistant dean and director of academic advising and assistance, said she is not worried about the new location.

“It will take some time,” Howard said, “but in the future students should understand that we are another service center in addition to the UC and Warriner (Hall).”

UC Renovations
A coffee shop will be installed where the President’s Conference Room is located. The new conference room is under construction on the third floor across from the auditorium.

An open lounge will occupy what was once the Dean of Students office, Academic Advising and Assistance and Career Services on the second floor.

Remaining offices will be relocated, new meeting rooms will be created and there will be additions to the Down Under Food Court.

Though most of the offices have made their move already, the Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity is scheduled to move out of the Park Library next week.

“We are looking forward to having a permanent location in Ronan Hall which has been designed to suit our departmental needs,” said Assistant Director of OCRIE, Matthew Olovson. “This will allow us to provide the campus with even greater access to our services.”

In CMU’s history, there have been various opinions for where student service offices should be located.

“In the mid-1990s, the board of trustees and the university administration under former-President Leonard Plachta agreed that it would be a good idea to place student services in a centralized location,” Roscoe said. “This would send a message that student services are of high value.”

Then, he said the board of trustees and the university administration under former-President Michael Rao decided in the early 2000s to create a place where students could go to study and relax, creating a sense of community on campus.