Lyons Hall rector Sister Susan Dunn has been appointed Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, University officials announced Monday. Dunn will begin performing the duties of her new position July 1 - replacing Sister Mary Louise Gude, who will retire at the end of the spring semester.
Dunn will work under Vice President for Student Affairs Father Mark Poorman and supervise the University's health, counseling and career centers. Poorman said Monday that the search for Gude's replacement was "fairly brief" and that Dunn quickly emerged as the preferred candidate.
"She is a splendid leader, a treasured colleague throughout the Student Affairs office," Poorman said. "[She is] dedicated to the dual mission of the University, academic inquiry and personal formation."
Gude, who has worked at the University for 23 years, said she is confident Dunn has the experience to thrive in her new position.
"She has an extensive and varied background in student affairs," Gude said. "She's been here long enough that she really knows Notre Dame."
Both Gude and Dunn are involved with the University Standing Committee on Gay and Lesbian Student Needs - Gude as chair and Dunn as a committee member.
"[Dunn] will make her own way and figure out what she wants to do as her own person," Gude said. "Given her experience, I think she's a very strong person. She has her own ideas about things."
Dunn said she is eager to begin working with Poorman and the other members of the senior staff.
"I was honored and humbled to accept the position," Dunn said. "The hardest part is having to leave Lyons Hall."
Dunn has served as rector of Lyons Hall for five years. She works part-time at the Center for Social Concerns and is a rector representative in the Campus Life Council.
She was uncertain about whether she would continue her involvement in these organizations once she takes on her new responsibilities.
Becky Lyman, an assistant rector in Lyons Hall, said she was sad to see Dunn leave the dorm but is equally convinced that Dunn will succeed in her new job.
"I'm thrilled for her," Lyman said. "I couldn't think of a better person. She'll be amazing, as she has been here."
Dunn has previous experience working at the administrative level. She was the assistant dean of student affairs at St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill, N.Y., before she came to Notre Dame in 2001.
Maddie Hanna and Mary Kate Malone contributed to this report.
