Farewell to Emma Mero
After three and a half years of leading SALD (Student Activities and Leadership Department) at Dean, Emma Mero is stepping into a new career path.
At the end of this week, she will be moving on from Dean College and will be taking on a new position at Wheaton College. She will be working in alumni relations and collaborating with different departments on campus.
She spoke on her new opportunity saying, "It will be similar but a little different. I will be working with several different departments like athletics to create a strong connection with the alumni."
Going back to three and a half years ago when she arrived on campus, most of the current students were not yet here, so she is all they have known in the SALD office. When asked about why she originally chose Dean College, she recalled going to UMass Amherst for undergrad and Salem State University for her master's degree, both of which are known as larger schools.
UMass has over 30,000 students on campus (the second largest in the state), while Salem State has over 5,000. Both of those numbers are much larger than Dean's estimated 1,000 students. Before Dean, she also spent time working at Johnson and Wales University, which currently has over 4,000 in their student population.
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When asked about this, Mero said, "I was really looking for a smaller institution. I think my biggest thing was that I wanted to work somewhere where if I had a question for a fellow staff member that I could go to their office and give them a call and it would be the expectation because it's so small."
Because it is a smaller school, Dean stands out based on its community, small class sizes, and the fact that students can get one on one guidance from faculty and staff throughout their time here. Mero has seen this firsthand with her unique experience working closely with student leaders.
"The biggest thing that drew me here was just the community and all the changes that the college has been through in the past 4 years," Mero explained. "I think that's one thing that's always remained true to Dean is that we are such a tight-knit, close community of students, staff, and faculty. I think everyone can say that everyone really cares about each other so much, which is really cool."
With Mero spending the last few years here at Dean in the same position, she has been able to make a lot of positive changes within SALD. SALD's primary responsibility is to coordinate and plan campus events and activities, while also being the main hub for clubs on campus. They are responsible for knowing the executive boards of clubs, spearheading the creation of new clubs, helping clubs plan events, and handling the funding of activities on campus.
SALD works closely with SGA (Student Government Association) and DAB (Dean Activities Board) to deal with the pool of money they get at the beginning of each semester and work out how to dole it out to each club, as they all can only take from the main pool of money. DAB hosts the bigger events on campus such as bingo nights, spring carnival, and winter week, to name a few. By managing all of these clubs, she has achieved a lot within the organization.
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"One of my biggest accomplishments is just getting more formal processes in this office. When I took over the student activities office three and a half years ago, there weren't any formal processes for funding requests or how to submit information for an event to be held on campus."
This has created a smoother way for clubs and leaders of the clubs to get the resources they need. Through these processes, Mero has been able to create relationships with so many different students just by having students stop by and talk to her.
Mero said, "I think my other big thing is to bring a connection back to the work that we do. Student activities and affairs are all about the connections that we build with other people. Whether you are coming in for a funding request or an orientation leader interview, I want you to leave feeling like we know each other and at least say hello to each other in the dining hall or around campus."
As someone who works so closely with the students on campus, it has been important for her to create those close relationships.
The SALD office will look different now with both Kathryn Huntress and Emma leaving in the span of the last two months. However, that does not take away from what they both accomplished in the last couple of years. New Dean of Students, Diana Estime, will be taking on the duties of SALD.
Mero finished off with saying, "I think the biggest thing is continuing to listen to the students, that's why we're all here. That is why we do the work that we do. So, whether it's in the future of student activities and leadership development office or just in general at the college, my hope and desire is that students are included in all the decisions that are made and all the work that is being done because that's why we're here."
She hopes that the legacy and foundation she has built will stay even after she is gone, and that student voices will continue to be heard.
