CHRIS ROELLKE HITS A HOMERUN: Chris Roellke, Vassar’s new dean of the college, is a familiar face among students. Because of the college’s shared governance, students and administrators each have a stake in community decisions, so it’s not unusual to find Roellke meeting with the Vassar Student Association (VSA) or in the residence halls, leading a town hall style meeting with President Hill. Roellke, who arrived at Vassar in 1998, has also served as the chair of the Department of Education and the dean of studies, founded the Vassar College Urban Education Initiative program, taught as a professor of education, and lived with his family and 175 students as house fellows. We caught up with the dean, who gave us the inside scoop on what it’s like to live in a residence hall, how he’s helped connect Vassar to the local community, and why he could talk baseball all day.
You spent three years living as a house fellow in Raymond House. What was that like?
Living with students really immersed my family in this community. I think I became a better teacher as a result. I understood what the students were doing outside of the classroom, what their interests were, and got to know their families. What stands out is really a better understanding of how engaged our students are outside the classroom, whether it be serving on the campus patrol or working in the community. We’re excited for the opportunity to live on campus again.
How does Vassar’s shared governance affect the institution and the students?
I think it affects our institution in really positive ways. Vassar has an amplified student voice, and that makes us stronger. You might have different passions that come through the student body, but this deep idea of shared ownership over what we’re doing creates the respectful environment we have. We really try to view students as colleagues, as opposed to some sort of hierarchical relationship, and that is what makes Vassar unique and special. For example, we’ve had students who are passionate about particular issues of corporate responsibility, and they really push the institution to look carefully at these things. I was really attracted to Vassar because it was clear that students had tremendous ownership over important decisions the college was making.
Did you always aspire to be dean?
When I went to graduate school, I thought I was going to be a high school principal. But when I had the opportunity to teach at Cornell, I knew I wanted to be in higher education. I miss teaching now. When I have a student who I’m meeting with here or working with the VSA on some policy initiatives, it really is teaching. So I don’t feel I’ve left the classroom. In many ways, it is a form of teaching and is very rewarding.
With a wife who’s a veterinarian, do you have many pets?
We have three dogs, all rescues from animal hospitals, a goldfish, and a horse [that’s stabled off-campus]. I joke with the security officers that we might do a mounted patrol.
What are some of your hobbies? I’ve heard you like the Yankees?
I’m an extraordinarily passionate baseball fan. I still play center field for the Dutchess County Pirates, a senior men’s baseball league. I grew up in New Jersey, the last of seven kids, and my brothers and sisters were Yankees fans. Even when I lived on Cape Cod for high school, I was a closet Yankee fan. And my dog’s name is Jeter.
Do students ever come to your games?
They have, and it’s fun, though a little nerve-racking to have them there. I think it’s also great for our students to see that your passions don’t have to die down when you get older. That if you really care deeply about something, just keep doing it.
What else are you interested in?
I love blues music. I come from a very talented family musically, though I got none of it.
What is something surprising about you that the students don’t know?
Pretty much, what you see is what you get. Students might be surprised to learn that I often cry at weddings and sappy movies and songs. I’m also still deeply engaged in the research side of my life. I’ve been studying schools and institutions of learning for a long time and I haven’t lost that passion, despite having less time for it.
What have you done to help share this passion for education with students and the community?
Early in my career here, I felt students at Vassar were coming with a very strong interest in urban education. I can only go so far theoretically in terms of preparing people to teach, so to me, the way to make this curriculum come alive is to engage our students in the local schools. We started the Vassar College Urban Education Initiative in 2003. Recent support from the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation and Dyson Foundation is allowing us to go to the next level, and we’ve started several programs in local schools. Now that we finally have some resources available the future looks very bright for engaging our students. I’m very excited and proud of it.