Dean of Students Hannah Clayborne has resigned and will leave her position in June, according to Chief Student Affairs Officer Jerry Parker.
Drake will not be hiring a new person for the position, Parker said in an email to The Times-Delphic. The duties of the position will be moved elsewhere. Drake is currently experiencing budget challenges, and this influenced the decision to eliminate the position.
“Dean Clayborne resigned, the position was then reevaluated, and after reevaluation it was determined not to rehire to achieve a balanced budget by July 2025,” Parker said.
In late February, The TD reported that Ryan Arnold had left his job as Drake’s director of community engagement. During his time in the role, Arnold built relationships with the Drake community and was an ambassador to the Drake Neighborhood Association. He contributed to projects including DART’s decorative bus stops, the Mediacom Stadium and the Broadlawns Community Clinic.
Arnold will not be replaced, according to meeting minutes from the March 20 Faculty Senate meeting.
“This does result in budget savings, but it wasn’t the sole reason for [eliminating the community engagement director position],” Associate Director of Communications Ashton Hockman said.
Drake identified current staff members who were interested and able to take on Arnold’s duties, according to Hockman. This included Chief of Staff Nate Reagen.
Drake is having a budget deficit due to declines in enrollment at colleges and universities across the country, according to a Drake internal website. During this academic year, Provost Sue Mattison’s recommendations to cut nine academic programs have frustrated some faculty. The March 20 Faculty Senate meeting raised questions about what cuts have been made to the Office of the President.
Over time, the operating budget of the President’s Office and the President’s House has declined by hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to a response recorded in the meeting minutes. The budgets will decrease by an additional six-figure dollar amount for next year.
In an email in March 2021, President Marty Martin announced that Parker, who was dean of students at the time, would take a newly created position: chief student affairs officer (CSAO).
In the Faculty Senate meeting, someone asked why Drake needs both a CSAO and a dean of students when the University didn’t previously have a CSAO.
Drake has both positions because of “increased needs regarding student mental and emotional health issues, student conduct issues, and our inability to respond due to a lack of resources,” according to a response to the question that was recorded in the minutes. The minutes did not state who asked or answered the question. Since then, Drake has developed more resources to address these issues.
“Since the creation of the new position, we have partnered to establish the Broadlawns Clinic with enhanced counseling services, wellness fees have funded activities that have improved student morale, and there has been a decrease in student conduct issues,” the response in the minutes said. “The structure of that department is actively under review, and more information will be shared with the faculty senate before the April 17 meeting.”