November 9, 2022
DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS & THE OFFICE OF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
APPOINT INTERIM POSITIONS
Interim Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs
Interim Dean of Students
Interim Director of PRLACC
The Division of Student Affairs has named Pamela Schipani as the Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA) and Fany DeJesús Hannon as the Interim Dean of Students (DOS) effective November 7, 2022. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has named Michael Vidal as the Interim Director of the Puerto Rican/Latin American Cultural Center (PRLACC).
In the role of Interim Assistant VPSA, Schipani will partner with senior administration to establish division-wide priorities and assessment strategies to enhance Student Affairs’ programs and services. She will also provide leadership and supervision for the Community Standards, Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services, Student Care and Concern, and Residential Life departments, and coordinate a team of student affairs professionals charged with policy and systems development, and real-time response to critical incidents and student emergencies.
Schipani has served as the Executive Director of Residential Life for nine years. During this time, she initiated a comprehensive departmental review and staffing assessment which is strengthening the department’s position as a leading residential life department in the country. In her role as executive director, she led a multi-unit department that serves over 12,000 residential students on two campuses. Pam was a key member of the planning and design committee for Werth tower in 2016, involved in the Stamford campus housing program design, and is currently on the design and planning committees for two new residential buildings on the Storrs campus. She has worked at UConn for 36 years serving in various capacities in Student Affairs including serving as Interim Director of Wellness and Prevention Services, Housing Services Director, Associate Director of Residence Education, Coordinator of Training and Research, Complex Coordinator, and Interim Director of Technology Services within Residential Life.
Pam strives as a professional to contribute to a milieu that has at its core the welfare and success of students. She does this by living with a set of values that describe and guide her practice; these include care for self and others, diversity, excellence, engaged leadership, professionalism, and thoughtfulness.
Prior to working at UConn, Pam worked at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, MA and Alfred State College in Alfred NY. She has also served as a high school guidance counselor and a
high school social studies teacher. Pam holds a bachelor’s in Sociology, Psychology and Education from SUNY Geneseo, a master’s degree in Counseling from St. Bonaventure University and her doctorate in Education from New England College.
Hannon, a native of Honduras who came to the United States when she was 20 years old, has served as the Director of the PRLACC for the past 10 years. Under her leadership, PRLACC has thrived to keep supporting self-identified Latinx/a/o students, staff, and faculty as well as community members at large in the State of Connecticut, Latin America, and the Caribbean. She strongly believes in fostering a sense of belonging for everyone. Her goal has been to support the students academically and emotionally, so they can proudly graduate from UConn and contribute to the workforce of the State and beyond.
As the Interim Dean of Students, Fany will serve as an important liaison with partners that support students throughout the University including colleagues within Student Affairs, Faculty, UConn’s schools and colleges, Enrollment Planning and Management (including Financial Aid, Registrar and Orientation), the Bursars’ Office, the Office of the Provost, and at the Regional Campuses. As the Interim DOS, Hannon will be a significant resource focused on developing staff, programs and services that allow UConn to provide for student success.
Hannon received a bachelor’s degree in Latin American Studies and a minor in Brazilian Studies from Smith College, and her Master’s in Higher Education & Student Affairs from UConn. Soon to be Dr. Fany DeJesús Hannon, she has been working on earning her doctorate in Higher Education Administration from New England College. Her research centers on sense of belonging and support received in peer mentoring programs for self-identified Latinx/a/o college students. Prior to her time as the Director of PRLACC, Fany worked for the UConn Foundation (Alumni Association) as the Manager of Student & Young Alumni Relations, and as an Academic Advisor, Program Coordinator and Case Manager at Miami Dade College.
Prior to being appointed interim Director of PRLACC, Michael Vidal served as the Director for Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives at UConn. He is a professional with a decade long experience in higher education, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and leadership development. Vidal previously served as Director for Diversity and Inclusive Excellence at Clark University, where he engaged internal and external community partners to advance the institution’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. This included coordinating the Bias Education and Response Team, the Diversity and Inclusion Certificate Program for university employees, and serving as the Principal Investigator for the Survey on Campus Culture and Community.
Vidal has taught undergraduate and graduate courses on intergroup dialogue, identity-based facilitation, and critical self-awareness. His passion for creating sites of connection and care guides his practice as a mentor, colleague, and administrator in higher education.
A first-generation college student, Michael earned a dual B.A. in Psychology and International Affairs from the University of New Hampshire, and a M.Ed. in Student Development (Social Justice Education) from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Michael Gilbert Frank Tuitt
Vice President for Student Affairs Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer
860.486.2265 860.486.2422
michael.gilbert@uconn.edu frank.tuitt@uconn.edu
For more information, contact: Janice Canniff at janice.canniff@uconn.edu