AU Dean of Students Faith Leonard will retire on July 1, after 28 years at AU, according to Associate Dean Sara Waldron.
Leonard announced her retirement to people close to her on Feb. 22, but chose to keep news of her decision to the larger campus until recently, Waldron said.
"I have become increasingly aware that more and more students don't know that she is retiring," she said.
Leonard said she is looking forward to devoting her time to other things, but will miss her experiences at AU.
"I am looking forward to having time for other interests," Leonard said in an e-mail. "I will sorely miss my daily interactions with AU students."
The university advertised a search to find Leonard's replacement, according to Waldron.
However, any new dean of students will have some big shoes to fill, according to Valerie Verra, who has been Leonard's assistant and her former student.
"These offices can be run in very different ways," she said. "No one will do a better job, that's for sure."
Former Student Government President Joe Vidulich said he considered Leonard to be both a mentor and a friend.
"It's a hard position to fill," he said. "She has affected thousands upon thousands of people on this campus."
The SG awarded Leonard with their highest honor - the Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle Award - at a special ceremony yesterday. The SG gives the award to a person who embodies the character of the university with their generosity and kindness, Vidulich said. Previous recipients have included AU President Neil Kerwin and other alums, he said.
"It was an easy fit," Vidulich said.
Leonard enjoyed her long tenure at AU, she said. She came to the school in 1980 and worked as the director of the Academic Support Center. Leonard became associate dean of students in 1994, and became dean of students in 1998. Along with her responsibilities as dean, she led the Office of Campus Life's Student Learning and Development Team. She also completed her doctorate at AU in 1988, she said.
Leonard has also taught classes at AU, which helps her to identify with both students and faculty, Verra said.
Verra said Leonard was the kind of teacher who wanted to give her students as much information as she could.
"You would come in to class and put your pencil to your pad, and not pick it up until class was over," she said. "She was determined to fill your head with as much information as she could."
Everyone in the dean's office is going to miss Leonard greatly, Waldron said.
"We're very sad, because she has been a marvelous supervisor," she said.
Vidulich said that Leonard's relationship with the students is incomparable to any other administration he has encountered.
"She has an open door policy," he said. "She relates to you on so many levels."
Hearing of Leonard's retirement was bittersweet, Verra said.
Verra said she was upset to know that she wouldn't be working with Leonard anymore but was excited to see her go on to the next part of her life, she said.
"I was glad because I've never seen anybody work so hard," she said.
Leonard said she is looking forward to experiencing AU from a different perspective.
"I'm already looking forward to next year's basketball season," she said.
