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August 20, 2004 > News > Camaco retires, position eliminated

Camaco retires, position eliminated

By Lindsey Gilbert | Thresher Editorial Staff

In a sudden end to his 10-year Rice career, popular administrator Zenaido Camacho retired from his position as vice president for Student Affairs. The announcement came Aug. 4 in the form of an e-mail from newly arrived President David Leebron sent to all university departments.

In conjunction with the announcement, Leebron made public his decision to eliminate the vice president for Student Affairs position and create a new position, the dean for undergraduate education.

The role of the new dean has not yet been fully defined, but will include oversight of many of the undergraduate student services now under Student Affairs. Leebron said his primary goal is to broaden the scope of student life, and he aims to bring nonacademic aspects of student life in line with the academic ones.

“What this represents, I think, is an increase of our commitment to undergraduate education,” Leebron said. “That’s probably not immediately apparent in some ways from the slim announcement we made. But I want someone really to feel that they are responsible for the undergraduate curriculum, and they are responsible for making sure that both the academic and nonacademic components of the undergraduate experience fit with each other.”

The announcement came 34 days after Leebron took office as Rice’s seventh president, succeeding former President Malcolm Gillis.

Leebron declined to comment on Camacho’s decision to retire or on the timing of the decision. Camacho could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts.

Search to begin

An interim vice president will oversee Student Affairs while the search for the new dean of undergraduate education takes place. Leebron named John Hutchinson, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, to the interim position.

Hutchinson said the Office of Student Affairs will continue to provide the same services it always has until a permanent or interim dean is chosen.

“There’s a transition taking a place,” Hutchinson said. “My role is to make sure that all of the services and support that Student Affairs provides to Rice students, both graduate and undergraduate, are preserved and provided throughout the entire transition.”

Currently, Student Affairs is responsible for the college masters and resident associates, health programs, the student and recreation centers, career services, student life, judicial affairs and academic advising.

A yet to be assembled search committee will select the new dean sometime during the next several months, Leebron said. The committee will include at least one undergraduate student, he said.

Because the new position is a dean, the occupant must be a tenured faculty member. Rather than hiring a professor from another university, Leebron said he would prefer to name someone familiar with Rice.

Hutchinson, a chemistry professor, said it is too early to tell if he would be interested in the dean’s position. Right now he is overextended and has to be careful because conflicts of interest could arise between his responsibilities as interim vice president and his role as Brown College master, he said.

John and Paula Hutchinson were chosen as Brown College masters in 2003.

Students react

Student Association President Derrick Matthews said he met with Leebron last Wednesday to discuss concerns voiced by some students that the proposed restructuring might result in decreased student access to the administration.

“It’s really hard to say what the effect will be because no job description has been given for the new position,” Matthews said.

Leebron said he has received a handful of e-mails from undergraduates, who are concerned that among other things, the new dean’s position represents a demotion from the vice president position. Leebron said he has answered these e-mails personally to reassure students of his commitment to undergraduate life, as well as his commitment to being directly available to students.

The college presidents have not yet met with Leebron to discuss the change.

Brown College president Tamara Friedrich said she sent an e-mail to the college listserv notifying Brown students of Camacho’s retirement and received varying responses.

“Some people said, ‘He retired, he didn’t die, it’s not that serious,’ and other people, it hit them much harder,” Friedrich, a senior, said. “I think it all depends on how much interaction you had with him.”

Some students said they were saddened to hear of Camacho’s retirement because they viewed him as a unique asset to undergraduate life.

“I don’t think they can fill the gap left by Camacho … what he did for Rice and what he did for the students,” Hanszen College junior Andray Downs said.

Baker College junior Kristin Youngless agreed.

“I felt like he was an administrator that was on the student’s side, and now he’s gone.”

Matthews said he has not been in contact with Camacho in the two weeks since his retirement, and he has not heard of any students who have been.

The Office of Student Affairs has been forwarding student correspondence to Camacho and his wife Carol Camacho.

Matthews said the SA may hold a campus-wide farewell party for the Camachos so students can see them and say goodbye.

Student Affairs reacts

Student Affairs staff members said they had no advance knowledge of Camacho’s retirement or Leebron’s decision to eliminate the vice president position, and Camacho did not say goodbye in person.

“I hadn’t even heard discussions,” Director of Student Activities Heather Masden said. “All of a sudden we came to work and we got the e-mail.”

Director of Multicultural Affairs Cathi Clack said she was on vacation when she heard the news, and was surprised.

Camacho sent a brief e-mail to Student Affairs personnel the morning of Aug. 4, which was followed in the afternoon by the e-mail from Leebron to all departments.

“I write so you may be among the first to hear that Zen Camacho has announced his retirement after 10 years as vice president for student affairs. … We will be working hard to assure that Rice continues to provide the very best undergraduate experience, both academically and in the extracurricular life of our students,” the e-mail from Leebron states.

A press release included in the e-mail announces the creation of the dean’s position.

Leebron met with Student Affairs staff Tuesday, and with college masters yesterday, to discuss his decision.

“[Leebron] explained to us what he envisions the role of dean of undergraduate education to be, but that it’s still evolving, and they’re still trying to find out what the duties are,” Masden said.

Alumni react

Some alumni said they are planning to contact the President’s Office to express their concern that Camacho’s departure was not a voluntary one and to ask if other changes will follow.

“It is clear that Dr. Camacho’s dismissal was neither what he wanted nor in the best interest of the university. Moreover, this decision raises huge concerns over even more potentially sweeping changes in student life,” a letter circulating via e-mail states.

Robert Lundin (Wiess ‘00) said he is among a small group of alumni who drafted the letter and who will encourage others to forward it to Leebron.

Lundin, a former president of Wiess College, said he and other

recent alumni to whom he has spoken, particularly former college presidents, reacted strongly to the news that the vice president’s position will be changed to a dean position.

“There’s naturally a real response coming from ten years of alumni saying, ‘What’s going on with this?’” he said.

Dean’s role to be defined

Leebron, who was dean of the Columbia University School of Law, said he plans to expand the role of deans at Rice.

“Deans to me are very important people,” Leebron said. “I will have meetings with deans to discuss the future of Rice, to discuss academic planning at Rice. I have direct interaction with every one of my deans, and I will continue to have direct interactions with every one of my deans.”

Leebron said he is not yet sure who will assume responsibility for graduate student affairs when the new dean for undergraduate education is named. Some responsibilities might fall under the provost or the vice provost of graduate education, or a new position might be created.

Leebron said his decision to separate undergraduate student life and graduate student life, which currently coexist under Student Affairs, reflects his commitment to undergraduates. The dean can serve as an advocate for undergraduates, he said.

“I’ve made no secret that one of my big concerns is our attention to graduate students … that we be able to attract the very best graduate students,” Leebron said. “I don’t know all the changes that might entail. I do know that when I sit around with a group of people talking about changes that we’re thinking of, I want someone at that table whose principle responsibility is thinking about the quality of the undergraduate experience.”

End of article

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