This July, Colgate welcomed Paul J. McLoughlin II as the Vice President and Dean of the College. McLoughlin joins us most recently from Lafayette College, and previously from Harvard University. In these positions, McLoughlin worked to improve student life both academically and residentially. As Vice President and Dean of the College, McLoughlin will help in both areas again at Colgate. 

“I am excited that this position has both the academic support and student affairs side. Having both aspects is very appealing,” McLoughlin said. 

McLoughlin also comes to Colgate with the hopes of promoting change and enhancing the student experience. 

“Right now, at this moment, what I am most excited about is to work with a new group of students. I think specifically to work with them to improve the student experience,” he said. 

McLoughlin plans to make students his priority and hopes to have the chance to connect with students personally as much as possible. 

“I want to be visible and available to students and a lot of that is me going to them. I love how articulate, bright and committed our students seem to be. I want to hear what is important from students and also understand who they are,” McLoughlin said. 

This year, Colgate extended its Residential Commons (RC) program to all first-year students. McLoughlin comes to Colgate excited to work with the RC program and strengthen it during his time here. 

“The Residential Commons are transformative. For me, the Residential Commons are a foundational community that other communities can be layered on top of. We are taking the best of Colgate and strengthening it by strengthening the communities that are part of it. The Residential Commons helps to bridge some of the cliques that may exist to create a common foundational identity that allows students to explore differences,” he said. 

McLoughlin also hopes to improve student life in other areas. Last year, Colgate experienced criticism in regards to Campus Safety and their response to campus events. Because of this, McLoughlin appointed Dan Gough in July to oversee Campus Safety, Emergency Management and Environmental Health and Safety. McLoughlin explained that linking all three areas is crucial to the success of Campus Safety. Gough, who previously worked at Colgate, returns with experience from UC San Diego and Roger Williams University. 

“Dan has years of experience and truly offers Colgate a great deal. I know for students to thrive, Campus Safety needs to be doing as strong of a job as they can. I want them to feel empowered, and I want students to respect the department,” McLoughlin said. 

Additionally, McLoughlin emphasized the role students play in ensuring the safety of one another. 

“Students should want to hold one another accountable as well. Students should demand from one another the behavior that they want to see,” he said. 

McLoughlin plans to make the most of his time at Colgate. He has high hopes for Colgate and is dedicated to its future. Specifically, McLoughlin wants to make changes to the junior and senior residential experiences off campus, including Parker and Birch apartments, townhouses and Broad Street properties. 

“In the coming decade, I am most excited about a 10-year plan to build support for a 10-year renewal for all those properties. It will not be immediate, but it should be one of our top priorities for student life. I think Colgate can do better. In fact, we must,” he said. 

McLoughlin’s office hours are every Monday afternoon, and he is also available by appointment. 

Contact Sofia Melgoza at [email protected].