Bradley’s food service provider isn’t the only thing that changed over the summer. The Student Activities Office has also overturned.
After 15 years at Bradley, former Director of Student Activities Michelle Whited announced in May she accepted a job at Illinois State University as the Programming Coordinator in the Dean of Students Office. Whited began her new position at ISU at the end of June.
“I left Bradley for a number of reasons,” said Whited. “The most important reason for leaving was because it was the best for my family. My husband had been commuting to Bloomington for his job for over two years. With two children who are getting more involved with extra-curricular activities, it was starting to become more difficult to manage all our schedules. Now that we live and work in the same city, we can better take care of ourselves as a family.”
As the Programming Coordinator at ISU, Whited will be responsible for organizing the welcome week program, advising the executive council of the University Program Board and supervising two full-time professional staff members and two graduate assistants.
Whited said a large difference between her position at Bradley and ISU is that she now is a specialist in one area and can commit to specific responsibilities.
“The biggest difference is that I do not have to wear so many different hats at Illinois State,” she said. “The Dean of Students Office is fully staffed, meaning no one is pulled in multiple directions on a daily basis. At Bradley I was juggling many different responsibilities and deadlines, and at times, it was extremely stressful.”
Although her new position will allow her to stay focused on a limited number of projects, she said there are several things she will miss about Bradley including students and relationships she cultivated across campus.
“The current students and many graduates hold a special place in my heart,” she said. “The faculty and staff with whom I worked with on a regular basis were extremely accommodating and truly support the student organizations in their initiatives. I was very humbled by the number of people across campus who wished me well when I announced I was leaving.”
Filling Whited’s shoes will be Tom Coy from Grand Valley State University where he is currently the Assistant Director of Student Life. Coy will bring several years of experience to Bradley having been involved in student activities for almost 15 years.
Coy will begin his first day as Director of Bradley University Student Activities on Sept. 4.
