The acting head of the Center for Alcohol and other Drug Education will step down this week, leaving the office responsible for substance education without a permanent leader.
Katie Bean, assistant director of CADE, will assume a similar position at the Wellness, Alcohol and Drug Education office at St. Joseph’s University after leaving the University Sept. 9. She cited personal reasons for the switch.
The change comes on the heels of a major restructuring of Student Judicial Services, which oversees CADE.
“The unique, creative student leaders at GW and my supportive, hardworking colleagues have made my time at GW so phenomenal,” she said, noting that the new position is in her hometown, Philadelphia.
Bean, who came to GW in May 2008, is currently the highest ranking official at CADE – which has been without a director since Brian Hamluk left the office the same year. CADE is responsible for providing students with Responsible Alcohol Management training and other education programs. Under Bean, CADE began the Be Wiser substance-awareness program, which encourages students to sign a pledge to party responsibly.
After a year-long project to revamp the disciplinary division, Student Judicial Services dissolved and officially reformed last week as two new departments – the Office of Civility and Community Standards and the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities – aimed at more effectively responding to behavioral incidents with education before punishment for minor violations. Under the reform, the Alcohol Medical Amnesty program is now under the jurisdiction of the Office of Civility and Community Standards, not CADE.
“Katie will be sorely missed by the GW community. Her impact on GW, particularly on students, is unparalleled,” said Assistant Dean of Students Tara Pereira, who credited Bean with last year’s increase in calls for help during alcohol-related emergencies.
Pereira, whose office oversees CADE and the new disciplinary offices, said the search for a replacement will begin shortly and will interview students, staff, faculty and alumni for the position.
Associate Dean of Students Tim Miller emphasized that administrators in the Center for Student Engagement will become more involved to compensate for Bean’s departure.
“Everyone will come together to fill her role. The best thing about the new dean of students consortium means that staff can jump in when one area needs more support,” he said. “People leave jobs all the time and it doesn’t impact the changes to SJS in any way.”
The remaining professional and student staff of CADE will work to maintain all regular programming in the absence of a director, Pereira added. Between Bean’s exit and the restructuring of Student Judicial Services, only two of the four staffers listed on the office’s online directory still work in the CADE office.
Bean applauded the GW community for the steps it took to make the campus a safer place and noted the success of the Be Wiser program and student organizations like GWise – GW’s Impact on Substance Education.
“I admire the hard work of the students here and will miss being able to learn from them,” she said. “Working in CADE has been an amazing experience as I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of students and administrators on a vast array of projects and campaigns in an effort to make the campus a healthier and safer place.”
