On the heels of the arrival of Viktor Kerney, the new associate director for student life, Tamara Himmelstein, the assistant dean of students and director of student life, will be leaving the Office of Student Life (OSL) for an assistant director role in Occidental’s Office of Institutional Advancement starting Nov. 15.
“I [was] looking for a new chapter in my professional career,” Himmelstein said. “What really primarily motivated me was that I want to stay in student engagement and to help out students and help advance the Oxy mission, and I feel I can do that now in a different but yet still meaningful way.”
Himmelstein will be working on the Oxy Fund, which is a pool of unrestricted money that can support the college’s highest priorities. Himmelstein’s specific role will be to raise funds from parents and alumni for the Hameetman Career Center. According to Maureen Royer, associate vice president of individual giving, the Hameetman Career Center is a prominent interest of many Occidental parents.
“She’ll partner very closely with Cherena Walker in the Hameetman Career Center,” Royer said. “Because lots of our parents are very interested, of course, in how their students are going to progress after college, and what they’re going to do with their careers.”
Himmelstein first became involved with Occidental’s Institutional Advancement efforts when she began working part-time on planning the ten-year alumni reunion, according to Royer. At the time, the Office of Institutional Advancement was undergoing a search for a staff member to focus on parent-giving for the Oxy Fund. In the final rounds of interviewing other candidates, Royer said that she realized how good of a fit Himmelstein would be for the role and brought the idea up with Himmelstein. Once Himmelstein expressed interest in the role, Royer and team immediately halted the search.
“From my perspective, it’s a perfect fit,” Royer said. “Because she’s a very extroverted, easy-to-approach person, and because she’s got many years of longevity knowing our parents and knowing our board members. This position in particular felt like a perfect fit.”
According to Himmelstein, as she prepares to transition into her new role within the college, she has also been busy with the selection of a new assistant director of student life to replace Amy Hill.
The college has offered the assistant director of student life position to Viktor Kerney, formerly the assistant director of admissions and co-director of student orientation at Loyola Marymount University, according to an email from Himmelstein sent to the 2018 orientation team group Oct. 12. Kerney is scheduled to begin Nov. 5.
Lizzie Hansel (senior), a member of the search committee, said that she believes Kerney will have a successful tenure at Occidental.
“[Kerney] will be a good fit for the office to bring on some necessary changes, and will be a good advocate for students,” Hansel said.
Hansel, who served as orientation student coordinator during the 2018 New Student Orientation, provided feedback on candidates as a member of the search committee.
According to Hansel, the final hiring decision was made by Rob Flot, vice-president for student affairs and dean of students, and Himmelstein.
Himmelstein said her upcoming departure informed how she interviewed candidates.
“I felt like they all could do orientation, they all could do the student success initiatives, I felt like they all could work in our office and do the job,” Himmelstein said. “So with my impending departure, I was thinking of someone who I felt was best equipped to handle unsteadiness or uncertainty in the office. Someone who could walk into an environment like, ‘Okay, I’m new, but we also now don’t have a director.’”
Himmelstein said that she will make herself available to Kerney for mentoring and onboarding, but will take caution not to micromanage.
Himmelstein initially came to Occidental to work in OSL after almost 14 years as a student and professional at large public schools. A California native, she was only applying to jobs in the state while finishing up her doctorate of higher education administration at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. Himmelstein said she was near accepting a position at the University of California, Irvine when budget cuts prompted the university to close the position in student life. Her other option was Occidental College.
“I remember just really enjoying the on-campus interview,” Himmelstein said. “And enjoying the people and the students. I was really impressed, I definitely had my hesitancies, but I was really impressed with what I had seen and had one of those gut feelings. I remember a colleague telling me once you go small school, you won’t go back.”
Himmelstein said that she particularly enjoys the greater feeling of impact at a smaller school.
“When you make a decision, you feel the impact immediately,” Himmelstein said. “In terms of really feeling like you accomplished stuff, like you really made a difference, or you made an impact because people definitely react to it, both good and bad.”
Himmelstein said that she will particularly miss the routine one-on-one interactions with students she has had as part of her role in the OSL; in particular, she will miss attending the weekly ASOC meetings and hearing about their projects and goals. However, as part of her role on Oxy Fund, she will get to work with Telefund callers, who also play a role in raising funds from parents and alumni. Success in both roles depends heavily on relationships, according to Himmelstein.
“For both jobs, it’s about relationships,” Himmelstein said. “And building relationships. It‘s also about telling your story. In OSL, it’s about building community, helping students find their niche … we’re creating memories, and now I see in my role, working with alums and working with parents, we’re bringing up those memories again.”
