Saint Michael’s College named Dawn Ellinwood, formerly Dean of Students at Hampshire College, as Vice President for Student Affairs. She began July 23rd at Saint Michael’s, a liberal arts Catholic college located in Burlington, Vt., one of the top-10 college towns in the country.
“My passion is the student experience,” Dr. Ellinwood said. “I was attracted to Saint Michael’s, although I was not looking for a job, because of the way this college interacts with students, the way Saint Michael’s speaks of students—this opening turned my head.”
She said she hopes to build on the strong foundation of service apparent in the Saint Michael's Student Affairs arena. “I want to build on that, and make Student Affairs even stronger with the vision of improving the student experience, with the very strong staff already in place.”
“I have an irrepressible dedication to the overall educational experience of my students,” Dr. Ellinwood said. Throughout her career, she said, she has focused on the importance of a positive student experience and has worked to continuously improve the experience for each student in and outside the classroom.
Dr. Ellinwood was Dean of Students at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., from 2008 to the present, and was Vice President of Student Affairs at College of Our Lady of the Elms in Chicopee, Mass., from 1996-2008.
Dr. Ellinwood earned a Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from Northeastern University in 1987; a Master of Public Administration degree from Northeastern in 1989; a Master of Education degree from Northeastern, earning the Dedicated Advocate Award, in 1992; and a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Massachusetts in campus curriculum/educational leadership in 2003.
Dr. Ellinwood was residence director and then area director at UMass, Amherst from 1994-1996. She was assistant program director for the Doctor Franklin Perkins School, 1993-1994; residence director at Clark University, 1991-94, and residence director at Northeastern, 1989-91.
Dr. Ellinwood served on numerous college committees, including the Hampshire College Strategic Planning Task Force and the Tobacco Task Force, which she chaired. She served on the board of Homework House, the parent advisory council of Hampshire College Children’s Center, and as a volunteer with Big Brother Big Sister from 1996 to 2007.
Dr. Ellinwood is married to Peter Ferguson, Manager of Network Operations for Residential Life at the University of Massachusetts. He will continue that work from Vermont by telecommuting. They have a daughter, Grace, age 7. The family will be living in Williston.