May 30, 2024 | Bowdoin News

Our New SVP and Dean for Student Affairs

Dear students, faculty, and staff,

I'm excited to share the news that Jim Hoppe will be joining Bowdoin as our new senior vice president and dean for student affairs on July 29, 2024.

Jim comes to us from Emerson College in Boston, where he has served as vice president and dean of campus life since 2016. He previously served for twelve years in various roles at Macalester College, most recently as dean of students.

Jim's appointment is the result of a comprehensive national search. His impressive track record of advocating for students and providing resources in the areas of inclusion, community building, and discourse and his dedication to the field of student mental health and well-being align so well with our culture, values, and mission, and I am delighted to welcome him to Bowdoin.

I am grateful to the members of the search committee listed below for their careful and thoughtful work over the past several months. These members of our community were impressed with Jim, and several offered their thoughts about his appointment. Sadie New '25 noted Jim's "genuine kindness and empathy," while Whitney Hogan, senior associate dean of students, said she is "excited for him to bring his commitment to student growth and development to our division." Associate Professor of English Aaron Kitch said he was "impressed by [Jim's] thoughtfulness, his calm and reasoned responses to questions, and his mature sense of purpose in approaching a variety of central issues related to student life and well-being," and Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Management Kevin Loney appreciated Jim's "approach to the work of student affairs" and "his views on the importance of a robust college athletics experience in a liberal arts education."

Students are at the center of what we do here at Bowdoin, and this role—overseeing advising, athletics, career planning, health and wellness, and student and residential life—is critical to our mission. Jim's focus will be supporting our work in the classroom as well as the excellent student experience for which Bowdoin is so well known. He will lead us into the next chapter of this work with the talented and devoted 150-member team in the Division of Students Affairs. He will also serve as a member of the College's senior leadership group.

As senior student affairs officer in his previous role, Jim was a change agent in advancing mental health and well-being and in the areas of equity, access, and support for international students, among others. He is known for connecting with students, encouraging opportunities for feedback and input, and supporting student governance. Jim, his husband, Mike Weckesser, and their two grown children, Cole and Grant, have enjoyed many weekends and vacations in Maine over the years, and Jim and Mike are looking forward to making the move along with their three-month-old golden retriever puppy, Riley.

Jim succeeds Janet Lohmann in this position, and I am tremendously grateful to Janet for her more than twenty years of service to Bowdoin, including the last five as senior vice president and dean for student affairs.

I look forward to working with Jim, and I know you all will join me in welcoming him to the Bowdoin community when he arrives later this summer.

All my best,

Safa

Senior Vice President and Dean for Student Affairs Search Committee

Connie Chiang, professor of history and environmental studies
Benje Douglas, senior vice president for inclusion and diversity
Krishna Goenka '26
Whitney Hogan '07, senior associate dean of students and director of residential life
Aaron Kitch, associate professor of English
Kevin Loney, assistant athletic director for facilities and event management
Sadie New '25
Matt Orlando, senior vice president for finance and administration & treasurer
Eli Orlic, senior vice president and special assistant to the president & secretary of the College
Paul Wang '24
Safa Zaki, president and professor of psychology