Spider Spotlight
A Q&A with Dr. Joe Boehman, Dean, Richmond College

As Richmond College's new dean, Joe Boehman enjoys helping students find their place at the University.

BY LIA TREMBLAY
Writer/Editor, University Communications

You're still fairly new to the University. When did you start, and what are your impressions so far?
June 1 was my first day. I've been so impressed with how student-focused everyone is. Everything is focused on making the University the best it can be for students.

What does your job entail?
I'm responsible for the academic and social well-being of men at the University. The students I'm working with are outstanding. They have been very respectful and just incredibly intelligent.

Tell me about where you went to school.
I did my undergrad studies at Ithaca College in New York. From there, I went to Michigan State for a master's in college and university administration. Several years later, I went to N.C. State for a doctorate in higher education administration. I did my dissertation there on work-life balance, which is an issue that still interests me.

How about your professional background?
After Michigan State, I returned to New York to work as a residence hall director at SUNY-Cortland. From there, I went to East Carolina University and worked as an off-site residence coordinator. That meant dealing with a lot of after-hours situations but still keeping daytime office hours, so it made for very long weeks. That's partly where my interest in work-life balance stemmed from. Later, I was promoted to assistant director of residence life. Then I moved on to work at the University of North Carolina and started my doctoral studies. I was assistant director for housing and residential education at UNC before coming to UR.

How did you choose this line of work?
By accident! I was a voice major at Ithaca, but I got burned out and had no idea what I was going to do after college. I enjoyed being a residential adviser, and I got excited about the idea of doing that kind of thing as a career.

How is UR different from where you have studied and worked before?
As a small, private liberal arts university, it's definitely a different scale than where I've been before. There's a lot of freedom here as well; the ability to take a student's idea and say, "Yes, we can do that," is great.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?
I get to have lots of student contact, which I really enjoy. To be able to help a student with personal or academic problems, or just to help him find his place here, is really rewarding for me.

Where are you from originally?
I'm from a town called Geneva in western New York.

Tell me about your family.
My wife, Jennifer, and I will celebrate our 10th anniversary in April. We have a daughter, Sydney. She's 4 years old, going on 15.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I like to work out and play golf. I also build furniture, cook and read. I like to spend as much time as I can with my family. We've been getting to know Richmond, getting to some of the football games and going to the Modlin Center.