It is
with very mixed emotions that we announce the departure of Tim Wilkinson from
Lehigh University. Tim has accepted the position
of Associate Dean for Student Engagement at Wake Forest University. In his new
role, he will supervise Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Activities, the
Student Union, Leadership Programs and Student Government. This move will also
put Tim and his wife Allison closer to family as they also prepare to welcome a
new baby addition. As we reflect on all that Tim has meant to Lehigh and to our
Fraternity and Sorority community over the past 10 years, it is absolutely with
a deep debt of gratitude that we share with you some of Tim's accomplishments.
Tim came to Lehigh shortly
after the University-wide Strengthening Greek Life initiative went into its
early implementation phase, and he immediately took on the massive challenge
and opportunity of leading Lehigh's fraternity and sorority community through
this major cultural overhaul. He has led this transformation with poise
and grace in an area that is often filled with significant challenges both at
Lehigh and on a national scale. And while there are still many areas of
improvement for Lehigh's fraternity and sorority community and our larger
campus climate, we can all say without hesitation that this community is
indescribably positively different from where it was ten years ago. We have
made sustainable change on a national scale that has made Lehigh's fraternity
and sorority community a model for other campuses across the country.
This is in large part a direct result of Tim's leadership and commitment to
continual improvement in our fraternal system.
We’d like to highlight 3
specific areas of growth and development in OFSA that would not have been
possible without Tim's leadership:
1) Dean of Students
Office, OFSA community-wide and chapter specific operational improvements: From
implementing Lehigh's fraternity and sorority Accreditation process, leading
our System-wide Assessment Committee, developing the individual leadership
skills of and mentoring countless student leaders responsible for their
chapter's operations and council leadership, overseeing many fraternity,
sorority and multicultural Greek expansion processes, serving as one of two
Senior Assistant Deans on the Dean of Students leadership team, and so much
more. Tim's focus on personal attention, values-based decision making,
and continual improvement, have ensured that these processes are at the
forefront within his field and serve the students, chapters, and Lehigh
University as well as possible.
2) Forging and maintaining
critical relationships with a wide variety of Lehigh constituents including
faculty, staff, students, administrators, alumni, national headquarters, etc:
In this job, it requires managing a diverse array of relationships,
competing priorities, and continually being willing to put the health, safety
and educational experiences of our students at the forefront at all
times. Tim has done just this. Whether it has been important
conversations with committed Lehigh alumni, sharing OFSA's work with faculty
and administrators across campus, or partnering closely with national
headquarters on positive experiences like chapter colonizations or on incredibly
difficult topics like chapter closings, Tim has given of his time and attention
in a way that has brought all of these constituents to a place of greater
support and understanding of Lehigh's fraternity and sorority community.
Tim has presented at numerous conferences, lead the Northeast Greek Leadership
Association for multiple years as Executive Director and Assistant Executive
Director, hosted conferences on our campus for fraternity and sorority
professionals, etc. The list goes on and on, but what can be said with
confidence is that Tim's ability to build relationships and work across a
variety of constituents in a way that promotes common purpose and inspires
positive action is excellent and has served Lehigh quite well.
3) Commitment to Diversity
and Inclusion: While Lehigh and our fraternity and sorority community still
have significant hard work to do to enhance our campus climate, Tim has
undoubtedly been a campus leader in insisting on improvements within the
fraternity and sorority community and across campus with regard to diversity
and inclusion. Examples of this are countless and include serving on the
Council of Equity and Community for a number of years, beginning multiple
programmatic initiatives within OFSA forward to educate students about
privilege and to create spaces for dialog among diverse student constituents,
building a sustainable community of Multicultural Greek chapters at Lehigh
including overseeing the expansion of six historically black and latino
fraternities and sororities and a historically Jewish-based fraternity at
Lehigh, launching the Greek Allies program to support students who identify as
LGBTQIA within the fraternity and sorority community, etc. All of these
have built a strong foundation for our fraternity and sorority community to
continue to build on as we all strive to further foster a more diverse and
inclusive campus community.
Suffice it to say, Tim has
left a legacy of strong leadership at Lehigh and his work with students and
other campus partners has been invaluable. It is rare to find an Assistant Dean
for Fraternity and Sorority Affairs who has stayed in their role for 10
years. The job is incredibly challenging, requires balancing many
different constituents' needs, and often places you in a position to have to
make very difficult decisions for the betterment of the overall system and
university. Tim has never once shied away from these difficult moments and in
those moments, his approach has been anchored fully in what creates a positive
and sustainable future for fraternity and sorority life at Lehigh and best
contributes to the overall mission and purpose of Lehigh University. We
could not ask for any more than that and he will be missed a great deal by all
of us.
Over the coming weeks, the
Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs will conduct a national search to
find a candidate that will continue to lead our fraternity and sorority
community with the same values-based approach and commitment to excellence that
Tim has brought to his work during his tenure at Lehigh. Students, faculty,
staff, and alumni will be involved in our search effort and we look forward to
welcoming a new Assistant Dean/Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs
before the start of the academic year.
Please make sure you reach out to Tim to wish him well before his last
day on June 18th.
Thank you,
Allison Gulati
Associate Dean &
Director of Strategic Initiatives
