Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

Third Swarthmore official joins global venture

For Kelly Wilcox, it will mean leaving Swarthmore College after 17 years, first as a student, then as a field-hockey coach and administrator.

For Kelly Wilcox, it will mean leaving Swarthmore College after 17 years, first as a student, then as a field-hockey coach and administrator.

But the opportunity to help build a global university from scratch in a leading Arab nation was something she couldn't pass up.

She becomes the third Swarthmore administrator to leave the dean of students' office and depart for New York University's school in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, since former Swarthmore president Alfred H. Bloom left to head the fledgling enterprise. Bloom became vice chancellor of the campus after retiring from Swarthmore at the end of the 2008-09 year.

The departures of the popular administrators have caused some student concern on campus and raised questions about how quickly they will be replaced, according to the Phoenix, the student newspaper.

Swarthmore officials said that while they were sad to lose the talent, they were pleased the administrators had been given the opportunity, and were not expecting any disruption.

"We are, as an institution of long standing, taking these things in stride," said Maurice Eldridge, vice president for college and community relations.

Wilcox's last day at Swarthmore, where she was assistant director of student life, was Wednesday.

"It's one thing to talk about diversity and interculture exposure and communication, and it's another to live and breathe it and to be a part of intentionally fostering it every day," said Wilcox, a Brookhaven, Delaware County, native and 1997 Swarthmore graduate.

Wilcox, 34, will become the associate dean for student learning resources at the campus, which will open in August with a class of 100 to 120 students from around the globe. She will help with academic and personal support for students, from time-management skills to fostering a community among the students to writing development.

Tim Sams, who had been Swarthmore's assistant dean of students and director of the Black Cultural Center, departed last month for a job on the NYU campus in Abu Dhabi as associate dean of students. The student newspaper last week quoted some students as being concerned about when Sams would be replaced and the future of the center.

James Larimore, former Swarthmore dean of students, was the first to follow Bloom; he started in Abu Dhabi in August as the associate vice chancellor for campus life and dean of students.

Replacing Larimore was associate dean Garikai Campbell, who became acting dean. He is a Swarthmore alum and had previously been a math professor. A search is under way for a permanent dean; replacing Sams and Wilcox will wait until the new dean is chosen, Eldridge said.

NYU's campus in the center of Abu Dhabi houses a residence hall, academic space, and operations, and offers 18 majors and a research center. It features two three-story buildings with lecture and performance space, community space, a cafe, and a bookstore. A second residential campus on Saadiyat Island will open in 2014.

Like Wilcox, Larimore - who had previously worked at Stanford and Dartmouth - found it difficult to leave Swarthmore.

"It is fair to say that there was probably only one opportunity in higher education that could have drawn me away . . . and this is it," Larimore said in an e-mail. "I was attracted by the globally diverse nature of the student body we are creating here, and by the opportunity we will have to foster international, intercultural understanding as part of our educational mission."

Larimore, whose wife and children joined him, has found Abu Dhabi "a friendly, exciting global crossroads city, rooted in the beauty and tradition of the Arab world in a way that welcomes people from around the world."

After earning her Swarthmore degree in political science with a focus on international relations, Wilcox spent two years teaching and coaching in England and traveled extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

She visited the Abu Dhabi campus in Thanksgiving for a final round of interviews and knew she wanted the job.

She recalled sitting at a table with a group of prospective students from diverse areas, including Colombia, Washington, Abu Dhabi, and Ethiopia.

"It became clear to me that there will be so much learning from each other, in and out of the classroom, throughout the day, and throughout the dorms," she said.

She said she felt safe in the community and was impressed with the high regard for women and families. She also loved the rich cultural offerings.

Wilcox will fly to Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for planning and return for a more permanent stay in mid-March.

"I do hope to return to Swarthmore in some capacity at some point in my career," she said. "It's more a 'see-you-later' than a final goodbye."