Michael Gilbert
Vice President for Student Affairs
michael.gilbert@uconn.edu
Pamela D. Schipani
Interim Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs
p.schipani@uconn.edu
July 31, 2023
DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS:
OFFICE OF STUDENT CARE & CONCERN ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Division of Student Affairs has named John Armstrong as the Interim Associate Dean of Students/Director of the Office of Student Care & Concern, effective July 28, 2023. This appointment replaces Dr. Claudia Arias-Cirinna who resigned to take on the role of Associate Vice President/Dean of Students at Georgetown University. Claudia served as the Associate Dean of Students/Director of Student Care & Concern for four years, Director of Residence Education for three years and Assistant Dean of Students in the Dean of Students office for two years. Please join us in thanking Claudia for her nine years of outstanding service to the UConn community and in welcoming John to this new role.
Armstrong has served as the Director of Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services since 2012. He has developed positive partnerships with students, town officials, police agencies, faith leaders, property managers and citizens. During his time in this role, John expanded the off-campus housing search options to all UConn campuses, worked diligently to reduce the impacts of off campus social gatherings in Mansfield and surrounding communities, managed UConn’s Bias Incident Protocol and served as a liaison to all faith communities. Nationally, he is recognized as a content expert in developing off campus and commuter student programs and currently serves as the national co-chair for the Off Campus and Commuter Student Services Knowledge Community through NASPA.
During his time at UConn, John has held various leadership roles in the Division of Student Affairs including in Community Standards and Residential Life, served as a First Year Experience Instructor and currently chairs UConn’s Veterans Advisory Council through Veterans and Military Programs. John has a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of Maine and a Master of Education with a concentration in Counseling & Psychology from Springfield College. Prior to entering higher education, John served proudly in the United States Army.
Off-Campus and commuter student resources will continue to be available through the website, and the off-campus housing database, found at offcampushousing.uconn.edu, will continue to serve all campuses.
The work of the Office of Student Care and Concern supports both graduate and undergraduate students who are referred by campus and community members because they are perceived to be threatening, harming, or disruptive to themselves, to others, or to both. The Team coordinates appropriate responses to support those students through multiple assessments, case management, and connecting the students to campus resources. This office also manages the Student Care Team and trains regional campuses on threat assessment and case management.
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Division of Student Affairs
Office of the Vice President
233 GLENBROOK ROAD, UNIT 4121
STORRS, CT 06269-4121
PHONE 860.486.2265 FAX 860.486.1194
www.dsa.uconn.edu
For more information, contact: Janice Canniff at janice.canniff@uconn.edu