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Culture Center loses another coordinator
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Valerie Cleary, who took the helm at the Cultural Center in the beginning of September 2002, resigned Thursday after only a month in the position.
In an e-mail she sent out late Thursday afternoon, Cleary stated that though the Cultural Center has been a great challenge and a wonderful opportunity, she didn’t feel that the position was appropriate for her right now.
The sudden change took place in part because of an opportunity for Cleary to work at the TRIO support offices, a federally funded program mandated to assist disadvantaged students.
Cleary will be working as an educational specialist for the TRIO program and will serve in a counseling/liaison role to disadvantaged students in various local schools.
In her e-mail, Cleary said the TRIO offices had been a personal interest for a while, so when the position opened, she decided to pursue it.
“I’ve always had a strong interest in the TRIO program. It was something I wanted to do even before I came to BSU,” Cleary said. “When I was offered this position in the educational outreach department, it was just too good to be passed up.”
Cleary was offered the position last week. She said she debated with herself for nearly a week before going to her supervisor, Student Union Director Leah Barrett, on Wednesday.
Barrett said she knew about Cleary’s wish to work in TRIO Services when she was hired for the position at the Cultural Center. She also said she enjoyed working with Cleary during her short tenure.
“[Cleary] is a new professional, fresh out of graduate school. The scope of the responsibilities at the Cultural Center were greater than what she was looking for in her first job,” Barrett said.
“I really enjoyed working with her, and Boise State is really going to be a better place with her working here, no matter what the capacity.”
Some concern was expressed at the ASBSU Senate meeting on Thursday when Cleary’s e-mail was read from the gallery.
When the center’s previous coordinator, Tam Dinh, resigned last April, she told The Arbiter the position was unsupported by the university administration. Cleary’s resignation came so suddenly that several senators were left wondering if she resigned for similar reasons.
However, Cleary said that she enjoyed working with the administration and her co-workers.
“Everyone’s been so great,” Cleary said.
Cleary added that very few new professionals have the kind of access to upper administration that she has had.
“I don’t know much about [Dinh's] resignation, but I haven’t had any problem getting the support I need over here,” Cleary said.
“The hardest part of all this for me has been telling all these wonderful people and the students who I have met that I am resigning. At least I’ll still be on the BSU campus.”
Barrett and Peg Blake, vice president of student affairs, began looking for a professional to take her place on Thursday.
“Dr. Blake and I feel it is very important for us to have an interim coordinator, and we are looking into it,” Barrett said.
Elizabeth Puckett, The Arbiter