New Dean, Patrice Hess’s plans for SVCC

By Kylie Lenninger

Patrice Hess is a new Dean at SVCC, and she has plans for helping students.

As Dean of Transfer Programs and Academic Support Services, Patrice Hess is in charge of general education and is responsible for the faculty and students. Another part of her job is working with academic support services.  

As she just started, one issue she dealt with behind the scenes was helping the SVCC store get the books and materials needed for classes. Though she didn't interact directly with the students, she made sure that the SVCC store had textbooks to provide to them. Just recently the bookstore had a limited supply of books and Hess stepped in, ordering materials professors were requesting. 

Another way Hess offers help to the students is by helping the professors. She is the one to make sure professors have the help they need whether it be with equipment or material, such as computer equipment or whiteboard markers. This also plays into staying within their budget. 

Another thing she manages is offering any help with professional development. This is supporting them in conferences/meetings or with instructional material for the classroom. As for how she helps, she says that the “faculty have to ‘adopt’ their instructional materials,” as they go through the store for any material they may need. She is there to make sure the store receives said materials. 

She has seen no issues arise yet but can assume student conduct is a problem. Despite it often being resolved in the classroom with the instructor, if it is further escalated she would be the one to step in. 

She also deals with academic honesty, when a student plagiarizes she makes sure the students are aware of what happened and that everything gets resolved. 

Hess goes on to say one of the reasons she became a dean was because the position interacts with the staff, and students. Her best advice for students is “Listen more than speak.”