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Second dean candidate interviewed
BY SARAH JOCHEMS
STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
ISSUE: 78/30
Monday, May 5, was the second time Student Association (SA) members gathered to listen, voice their concerns and ask questions to a potential Dean of Students candidate. Two weeks ago, it was Dr. Kimberly R. Allan. This week it was Dr. Matthew Aschenbrener. Originally from Shakopee, Minn., Aschenbrener graduated with degrees in engineering and math from South Dakota State University (SDSU), where he currently serves as the assistant vice president for Student Services/Registrar.
The city of Duluth itself was one factor that caught Aschenbrener’s eye when applying for the position at UMD.
“I’m here to stay. I’m not looking for moving around a lot,” he said. “I have two kids who are five and six years old. I have been told that once we move, it is where we are staying. Plus, I still have family in the Cities.” SA members asked Aschenbrener what he hopes to bring to the university besides his family. “[Right now] I have very little student contact. SA was one of the biggest reasons that drew me to this position,” Aschenbrener said.
He said it would also be great to work with Dr. Randy Hyman, get to know who he is and get a sense of the direction he is taking this university. “It would be nice to take some of his workload off and make improvements in some of the departments and know the plans of each department,” Aschenbrener said. SA then raised other important questions, for Aschenbrener, one of which pertained to alcohol. “How can you forget alcohol?” asked Aschebrener. “I think it is the one thing that will take the most time, in this [Dean of Students] position. Whoever gets the position will spend an extraordinary amount of time with alcohol.
Working with key players such as liquor stores, community leaders and off-campus people would be a big focal point [in reducing alcohol consumption].” SA members also mentioned the smoking ban that has been in effect for the entire 2007-2008 school year. They asked Aschenbrener what he would do to keep it implemented or if he would get rid of it completely.
Aschenbrener was not familiar with the smoking ban but mentioned alternatives of keeping it better enforced.
“I would get building managers and make them responsible for a particular building,” Aschenbrener said. “For example, whenever a light bulb needs to be changed or something is wrong with the facility, that manager would be responsible. It would be nice to have that. Sometimes it takes a couple of years before any significant changes appear to happen.”
When SA asked Aschenbrener, “what do you look forward to in Duluth?,” he was quick to answer. “I love the area. When my parents retired, they moved an hour south of Superior so I used to come up here all the time. I learned to ski at Spirit Mountain, and overall it’s a nice area, nice school,” he said.
