Binghamton University recently appointed Amanda Finch as the new vice president of student affairs and the dean of students.

Finch’s elevation comes after Randall Edouard, the former dean of students, vacated the position last year. The two were final contenders for the vacancy in December 2019, when Edouard was selected. Finch has since worked at SUNY Oneonta in various student affairs roles. Her experience advocating for college students spans 16 years and multiple different institutions, including Clemson University.

In a Dateline announcement to the campus community, Finch expressed her enthusiasm for her new role.

“[BU] has an excellent reputation, as well as a sense of community, that I felt immediately during my time on campus,” Finch wrote. “I’m really looking forward to working with the very impressive, engaged and active student population at [the University]. I’m also thrilled to be joining a team of dedicated and accomplished colleagues who clearly put students at the center of their work.”

Activities and organizations overseen by the Dean of Students Office include Fraternity and Sorority Life, Late Nite and the Consultation, Advocacy, Referral and Education (CARE) Team — which was developed by Eduoard as a resource for increasing mental health challenges by providing students with professional case managers on campus.

According to the position overview on the student affairs website, the assistant vice president of student affairs and the dean of students reports directly to Brian Rose, the University’s vice president for student affairs. They must also serve as a Student Affairs Leadership team member to advise on planning, policies and personnel decisions within the Division of Student Affairs. The position is described as a highly collaborative position, requiring strong communication with academic faculty, campus staff and undergraduate and graduate student body. They also work closely with the Town Gown Advisory Board, a committee established to foster positive relations between local residents and the University.

“To borrow from the Harpur College motto, [Finch] brings a rich perspective on student success that comes from a breadth and depth of administrative experiences serving college students,” Rose wrote in an email. “While all of our finalists demonstrated a passion for supporting students, what distinguished [Finch] was her authenticity and commitment to innovation that appealed to the students, staff and faculty who participated in the search.”

Finch graduated from Hartwick College in 2001 with a bachelor’s of arts in psychology and earned a master’s of science degree in higher education from Old Dominion University in 2007. She began her career in South Carolina as the associate director of community and ethical standards for Clemson University and eventually returned to Oneonta, where she was director of student conduct and community standards and then the associate vice president for student development.

In a LinkedIn post, Finch shared her appreciation and gratitude to those she previously worked with at Oneonta. She will enter her new role in January 2024.

“I’ve had the pleasure of serving the students, my colleagues, and the community of SUNY Oneonta for the last 15 years and am grateful for every opportunity that has been afforded to me,” Finch wrote.

Jo Keenan, a sophomore majoring in integrative neuroscience, described the benefits of the campus resources supervised by the dean of students.

“The resources available to students on campus are really useful,” Keenan wrote. “I’ve made use of a few of them myself, and it’s both convenient and practical to offer necessary services like therapy, from the University Counseling Center or referrals from the CARE team, as well as health appointments from Decker Student Health Services Center on campus. It shows the students that the University wants them to do well for themselves.”