Jones professor Sarah Ishee has recently accepted the job of Dean of Students. Though
the promotion was somewhat unexpected, Ishee is prepared to take on the previously vacant position.
Ishee’s promotion has repositioned her from teaching in Jones Hall to working in the
Student Affairs Office. Her new title not only comes with a new workspace, but also a new
workload she must handle on a day-to-day basis.
“Believe it or not, I work with anything that students are connected to,” Ishee said. “In
the Student Affairs Office, I handle students involved in athletics, eating in the cafeteria, living in the dorms, attending to and withdrawing from class and even discipline.”
Ishee revealed that she also gets to work on fun things like Who’s Who and the Most
Beautiful Pageant. Recently, she also became a leader of the Student Government Association (SGA) alongside Emily Sullivan. Ishee was already involved in the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK), but her new title enables her to work with all clubs and organizations. The Dean of Students’ title is quite literal, meaning she covers everything regarding student involvement.
Ishee started her tenure at Jones College in July of 2006. During her 17 years working for
the college, she has held many positions.
“When I started, I worked in both the Student Accounts part of the Business Office and
Financial Aid,” Ishee said. “While I was doing that, I was in graduate school at night working towards my history masters.”
After her first three years at Jones, she was moved to Admissions and Records, and she
started part-time teaching in history classes. She was also Assistant Registrar for five years. In 2014, she was accepted the offer to move into full-time history teaching. Around that time, Ishee also started as an advisor for PTK.
Kate Holm, a former student of Ishee’s, said, “Mrs. Ishee was an awesome teacher. She
cared about our education as well as our individual needs. Her class was never dull.”
Ishee specializes in higher education administration and has always wanted to go back to
work in the Administration Building. However, she did not expect to go back so soon. Many
changes in organization and the structure of Jones took place in the fall semester, and the Dean of Students role needed to be filled. The changes allowed an opportunity for Ishee, so she took it.
“I did not know at the start of the Fall semester that I would not be full-time teaching, but
it just happened,” she said.
Ishee described the promotion as bittersweet because she loved teaching and working
with the other professors in her department.
“It was hard leaving Jones Hall because it was a good, safe, family place for me,” she
said.
Fellow social science instructor Caleb Smith said he was sad to see Ishee leave their
department.
“Sarah is passionate about history and building relationships with students,” said Smith.
“She has been a joy to work with, but her departure from this department has been significant. Sarah moving on has left a gap in Social Sciences and Humanities from an instructional standpoint but also from the viewpoint of the dynamic of this department. Sarah brought an energy and excitement that is infectious and makes the work environment a pleasure. She is a great fit as dean of students because she has years of experience in the classroom as well as other departments at Jones, so she knows where students are coming from and how to relate to them to aid them in their needs.”
Although the transition was difficult, Ishee is now doing something she has always
wanted to do and is accomplishing great things, which is the true spirit of Jones College.
by Sheridan White
