Dean Shanahan: Five Concerns

"The more controversial changes are behind us," says the man most responsible for life on campus.

• Midway through the fall term, Dean of the College Edward Shanahan agreed to an Alumni Magazine interview with Senior Story Editor Lee Michaelides. The dean prefaced his remarks by saying, "In the areas I oversee, alumni have already seen most of the macro changes. These include the alcohol policy review, minimum standards for fraternities, dorm renovations, and the development of undergraduate advisor and faculty masters programs.

"From now on," he continued, "the changes are going to be far more subtle. The stage is set, in terms of facilities, programs, and people, for these ideas to mature. Most of the changes that are visible and controversial are behind us now."

Although Shanahan predicts an era of stability for the immediate future, there is one exception: "Smaller special interest groups and sub-communities on campus are beginning to have a more mature sense of who they are," he maintains. "They are beginning to express needs and areas of concern they feel the institution should address. Some of these needs the institution should address, and some of them the institution should not address. In the years ahead, there may be some tensions."