Levi Esses is a man on a mission! As Newman University’s newly named Dean of Students, that mission is to help students succeed in and out of the classroom.
“I enjoy working with students and from what I’ve heard, Newman students are great!” Esses said, “I want to help them with their development and help them prosper as they graduate through the Newman system.”
Esses started his new post on Jan. 5, 2015.
As Dean of Students, Esses supervises the planning, organization and implementation of Residence Life and Student Activities programming. He also is responsible for coordinating orientation and leadership training, along with overseeing the student discipline process at Newman.
“It’s exciting to be in a place that has similar values to what I have. I’m also excited to work with the staff to lead a group of people. I look forward to providing leadership and setting a mission, a purpose in what we want to do here in student life,” Esses added.
Esses has been preparing for his current role since his own college experiences at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. Shortly after graduation in 2002, he was hired as the school’s Director of Resident Life and assistant football coach. Two years later, Esses began a career teaching high school mathematics. From 2007-2013, he served as Assistant Director of Student Services at Kansas State University Salina, Kan., before moving back to Bethany College as Associate Dean for Student Development and Director of First Year Initiatives.
“The relationships that students build with faculty and staff is so critical at a small university or college campus,” Esses said. “It is important those students get connected early on in the process and I think at a place like Newman, students are able to do that. And, they’re able to grow, not just inside the classroom, but outside the classroom because they have a lot of leadership opportunities in terms of student organizations and things on campus they can do.”
Watch Esses’ comments about how strength-based leadership can benefit students
