Dean of First-Year Studies

Leah Blatt Glasser

300 Mary Lyon Hall

The first year of college is a time of transition, transformation, and exploration. I have the pleasure of working closely with first-year students as their most central resource for academic guidance. In addition to offering individual academic advice to first-year students, I coordinate faculty advising and encourage students to access the broad network of support that is available at Mount Holyoke. One of my roles is to encourage students to explore new modes of critical thinking and independent inquiry.

I see my role in advising as an extension of my role as a teacher in the English department. Along with faculty advisors, I am interested in listening well to students' discoveries through their first year. Advising is an opportunity to help students voice and pursue their evolving goals.

I have been teaching at Mount Holyoke since 1980, and have been an academic dean since 1986. Students sometimes ask about the source of my never-ending enthusiasm for my work as teacher, dean, and scholar. My first response is that I am never bored! My work allows me to connect with students at one of the most interesting and challenging times in their lives. Because I continue to research and write, I am a learner as well as a teacher; this combination greatly enriches my conversation with students as they launch into their new opportunities for research and writing at Mount Holyoke College.

Resources: Department Liaisons (PDF)