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June
2005
Settling In
Raised in Boston, new Dean of Campus Life Ric Townes is loving
life on the West Coast. |
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By A. McCollum Algeo
Ric Townes is in the process of dismantling one office and moving to
another, readying himself for his new job. A book on the history of
Pomona College sits on the corner of his desk, a testament to the
learning he feels he still needs to do, but after a year in an interim
position at Pomona, he’s been appointed dean of campus life and he
couldn’t be happier about it.
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Dean of Campus Life Ric Townes |
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“I’m just ecstatic about being able to stay,” he said. “My wife and
daughter love the place. Everything else is gravy.”
Townes grew up in Boston and had a long career at the University of
Massachusetts-Amherst, but he and his wife had family in California and
felt the gentle pull westward for a while.
“People suspected that we were going to be coming here long before we
knew we were coming here,” he said. When his oldest daughter decided to
attend law school at USC the urge to move got stronger and Townes
started looking for jobs in California. He’d worked with Dean of
Students Ann Quinley and had been talking to her about his job search.
At about the time he was coming to California for another job interview,
the interim associate dean of campus life position opened up. She
convinced him to visit the campus and Townes liked what he saw.
“I was told by Dean Quinley…‘If you come here you’ll see, you’ll like
it, and you’ll think you’ve died and gone to Pomona.” Townes said he’s
come to agree with her, and he told her as much recently.
Despite having spent much of his career at a larger public institution,
the state of public higher education and the financial difficulties
faced by state institutions left Townes wanting a change.
“And it doesn’t get any better than Pomona in terms of small, private
college,” he said.
Townes studied psychology at UMass-Amherst, but soon found his way into
education. A friend convinced him to work in a program counseling first
generation college students and he has never turned back. He has more
than two decades of student affairs experience at UMass-Amherst, serving
in a wide variety of positions. When he left he was assistant vice
chancellor for campus activities, responsible for the campus division
that organized programming for 11,600 residential college students and
6,000 off-campus students.
“I spent about 15 years of my career there working on social justice
issues for the college,” Townes said. “I’m particularly proud of the
work I did over a long period of time with those issues … I always
wanted to be involved in situations that brought faculty, students and
staff together.”
During his interim year at Pomona, Townes was in charge of organizing
events such as Family Weekend and Alcohol Awareness Week. He worked with
students to expand the programming of Multicultural Hall, a themed
residence hall that addresses diversity issues. He also worked with the
Students of Color Alliance, which was created in conjunction with a
grant from the Irvine Foundation to create programming to address campus
climate.
When asked what he’s planning for next year, he laughs and holds up The
History of Pomona College 1887-1969. “I hope this is a continuation of a
learning year for me.”
“This place is amazing, and the programs and services they have here for
students are, to me, incredible,” he said. One example Townes cites is
the residence hall program that pairs a sponsor with a group of first-year
students to help them make the adjustment to college life.
When he’s not at work or with his family, Townes often can be found
taking photographs. He enjoys all types of photography but with the
wealth of natural beauty in Southern California, he’s focusing on nature
photography – in particular the snowcapped mountains visible from
Claremont. He also loves to play golf and to walk. Like many people at
Pomona, Townes sports a pedometer on his waistband.
Now that he knows he’s staying in Claremont, Townes looks forward to
doing volunteer work similar to that he’s done in the past. At Amherst,
he was involved in the organization 100 Black Men, a group that mentored
youth. He also grew up as part of the Boys and Girls Club so has
volunteered for that organization and for the YMCA.
His wife, Valerie, is a speech pathologist, and their daughter, Carimah,
attends Pomona Catholic High School. His other daughter, Johari, just
completed her first year at USC.
“The people at Pomona College have been great,” Townes said. “I really
appreciate the warmth and generosity afforded my wife, my daughter and
me. I sure would like them to know how grateful we are.”
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