While many on campus had the opportunity to relax and unwind over break, KSC’s search committees worked to fill some prominent vacancies heading into the new year.
The position of Registrar, which had been vacant since Oct. 18, 2022, when Paul Viau retired, was filled by Laura Provost. According to Vice President for Finance and Administration Nathalie Houder, Provost started on the job on Jan. 8.
During the course of the nearly 15-month-long vacancy, Associate Provost Sue Castriotta served in the office on an acting basis. According to an Oct. 25 article from The Equinox, the challenges faced during the search revolved around the experience threshold needed for the position, as well as concerns about the competitiveness of the salary.
A Jan. 10 email sent to KSC faculty and staff by Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs James Beeby highlighted Provost’s experience at Granite State College, a University System of New Hampshire (USNH) member. Provost had also recently worked at White Mountains Community College.
“I want to express my sincere gratitude for the committed and thoughtful efforts of the search committee; for the tireless efforts and dedication of the Registrar’s staff over the past year; and to Sue Castriotta for her willingness to take on the mantle of Acting Registrar while we were searching for new leadership and support for the area,” the email stated.
KSC President Melinda Treadwell noted Provost’s experience at the community college level being an asset to KSC as the college looks to streamline credit transfer.
A second position that was restructured in the Summer of 2023 was also recently filled. The position, previously titled “Coordinator of Wellness Education,” was held by Tiffany Matthews until July 2023.
In a Sept. 13, 2023, article from The Equinox, Associate Vice President for Student Engagement Jen Ferrell said the position would be housed in the Student Involvement area, rather than The Wellness Center. Ferrell also noted that the position would work more with risk-management.
The new hire is Emily Alexander, according to a Jan. 22 email from Houder. Alexander received a master’s degree in Public Health Education and Promotion with a concentration in eating disorders from Plymouth State University, according to Alexander’s LinkedIn profile. Most recently, Alexander had worked as a Worksite Wellness Account Advisor at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Keene.
A third position that was filled was the Sustainability Coordinator who began work on Jan. 8 with the hire of former Graduate Assistant Katherine Witte. The position had become vacant following the departure of former Sustainability Coordinator Linsey Edmunds after the spring 2023 semester.
According to KSC’s website, Witte earned her master’s degree in environmental education at Antioch University of New England in 2023.
“Bringing someone in to work with the student groups in the Office of Sustainability was important,” Treadwell said.
The Equinox previously reported in an Oct. 25 article that the vacancy in the position had left some student interns without somebody to report to.
While the college had success in hiring for some positions over the break, others still remain vacant.
The Coordinator of LGBTQ+ Student Support, a position housed in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, has been vacant since the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year following the departure of Hunter Kirschner. Despite leaving the college, Kirschner had planned and scheduled several events in the office for the fall semester, including a film screening of the documentary “Cured,” which Kirschner spoke at.
According to Treadwell, as of late December 2023, there were five “highly-qualified finalists,” which were slated to have phone interviews. Treadwell noted the USNH listing for the job was posted in December.
Treadwell said the goal is to have the hire on-campus following spring break.
A new position, Coordinator of Inclusive Policy and Practice, is still in the process of selecting a candidate. Treadwell said the creation of the position was made possible by USNH investments into KSC’s DEI program, and that the position would serve as a bridge between the DEI program and Human Resources.
After an unsuccessful search, the position was reclassified to focus “more on the training aspect,” Treadwell said.
Following the reclassification, she said a hiring recommendation was now “imminent.”
“These are a number of positions critical to the institution … [we are] very excited about the hires we’ve secured,” she said.
Nathan Hope can be contacted at
nhope@kscequinox.com
