Dean Julie Ramsey Expected to Step Down from Position at the End of December
Dean of Students Julie Ramsey speaks at a college event (Photo courtesy of Gettysburg College)
By Phoebe Doscher, Magazine Editor
On Tuesday afternoon, President Bob Iuliano announced in an email to the college community that Dean of Students and Vice President of College Life Julie Ramsey would be retiring after 40 years at Gettysburg College.
Ramsey will officially step down from her roles on December 31 and retire fully either at the conclusion of the strategic planning process, with which she is involved or at the end of the academic year.
Iuliano expressed his gratitude for Ramsey throughout his first year and a half at Gettysburg. “I consider her one of my closest colleagues and a dear friend. She offers wisdom and a perspective borne of enormous experience in higher education and at the College,” he said.
He also mentioned many of the co-curricular programs at the college that have flourished throughout her tenure, including Religious and Spiritual Life, the Garthwait Leadership Center, the Center for Public Service, and the Office of Multicultural Engagement. He also mentioned her involvement in the College House System, her dedication to the continued improvement of the first-year experience, and the Student Success Advocate program for the student body.
Iuliano closed the email by recognizing Ramsey’s work to prepare and execute changes related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “As society and higher education experiences every day, the pandemic presents an evolving set of complexities and challenges, and I am grateful for everything Julie has done to help us navigate these turbulent waters,” he said.
The College has yet to announce a successor; Iuliano said he expects to share further information regarding the COVID-19 response and College Life leadership in the coming days.
October 23, 2020
As an alum, who had interactions with her predecessor Frank Williams, I commend Dean Ramsey for her four decades of service to Gettysburg College and the countless thousands of students now there and graduated, who were either the direct or the vicarious beneficiaries of her stellar reign of service to the College, it’s traditions, as well as its history. May her retirement be no less as long and as healthy as was her tenure as Dean of Students.