Senior Associate Dean of Student Life
As the Senior Associate Dean of Student Life, Sarah has oversight of the College's conduct processes, new student orientation, and wellness programs. She works closely with the Director of Student Wellness, Alcohol and Other Drug Education and the Director of Sexual Violence Prevention and Advocacy. Sarah serves as the case manager for the CARE Team.
Dean of Academic Support and Director of the Academic Resource Center
Joining Connecticut College in 2013, Noel serves as both the Dean of Academic Support and the Director of the Academic Resource Center. As dean, he oversees the Academic Resource Center and the writing center. Noel serves as a liaison between the Dean of the College and faculty regarding areas that have to do with student academic success. Along with his student involvement, he also collaborates with all deans in the Office of the Dean of the College in providing effective and timely academic support to Connecticut College. Earning his doctorate in clinical, cognitive, social, and developmental psychology, Noel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, having previously worked as class dean at Wesleyan University.
“Dare you have the courage to know who you really are.” - Rumi
Director of Student Accessibility Services
Jill Heilman came to Connecticut College with over twenty years of experience in Rehabilitation Science and Disability Advocacy work. Before coming to Conn, Heilman worked at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida and also as a consultant.
At USF, Heilman was Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator for the Rehabilitation Counseling and Disability Science program. She developed this program to train professionals to work with persons with physical, mental, emotional, and chemical disabilities. Heilman also ensured that students in the program received appropriate accommodations at the university and founded the first ever Student Accessibility Task Force on USF’s three campuses.
Heilman received her PhD in Rehabilitation Science from the University of Florida where she specialized in Rehabilitation Counseling and pediatric disabilities. She is also a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and professional speaker.
Associate Dean of the College and Dean of First-Year Students
, visiting instructor in art history and architectural studies, is associate dean of the College and dean of first-year students. As such, she counsels and advises first-year students on academic matters.
She and her staff facilitate the First-Year Seminar program and train student advisers (SAs) who work with first-year students as part of the Team Advising program. With the Office of Student Life, they also organize and run orientation.
Since joining Connecticut College in 2012, Morash has taught a range of courses that illustrate how social, political and cultural events shape the built environment, ranging from the Arts and Crafts movement to contemporary architecture to public housing in America. She worked with the First-Year Seminar Steering Committee, First-Year Seminar Pilot Programs and working groups to develop the first-year seminar component of Connections. Her ConnCourse, “Building Culture,” was first offered in 2015-16 and is an interdisciplinary survey of the history of architecture.
Assistant Director of Student Support
As Assistant Director of Student Support, Paula assists first year students in transitioning to college and achieving their academic goals. Paula has been at Connecticut College since 2005 in various roles and is knowledgeable about campus resources and can answer the questions you might have about almost everything that goes on in your first year at Connecticut College.
Associate Dean of the College, Dean of Sophomores, International Student Adviser
As Associate Dean of the College/Dean of Sophomores, Carmela Patton is responsible for working directly with sophomore students and for developing programming that helps sophomores strengthen their connections with the College while helping them prepare to select a major, apply to the College's academic centers and move successfully into their upper-class years.
As the International Student Adviser, Patton works with international students during all four undergraduate years. In collaboration with the dean of first-year students and the dean of juniors and seniors, she assists in creating a successful undergraduate experience for international students.
Dean Patton earned her Laurea Degree from the University of Bari, Italy, and her master's degree in Italian studies from the University of Connecticut. She joined Connecticut College in 2007 as the international student adviser. She started her position as Dean of Sophomores in 2012. Dean Patton is a native speaker of Italian and enjoys teaching courses on Italian language and culture.
carmela.patton@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2050
Faculty Profile
Director of Campus Safety
Associate Dean of the College; Dean of Juniors, Seniors and Transfers; POSSE Coordinator, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program Co-Coordinator
As Associate Dean of the College/Dean of Juniors and Seniors, Ann Schenk counsels and advises students on their educational goals while monitoring their progress toward graduation. She also serves as a liaison between students and resources on campus and partners with faculty and staff across the College to ensure academic success. She is the coordinator for our POSSE scholars program and Mellon-Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, and oversees transfers to the College.
alsch@conncoll.edu Phone: 860-439-2065
Dean of Juniors, Seniors and Transfers
Dean of the College
Dr. Erika J. Smith joined Connecticut College as Dean of the College in August 2021. She was immediately drawn by Connections, which she sees as the perfect way for all students to have their own expression of success, driving their lives, aspirations and goals further than they knew to aspire. With oversight of the Class Deans, the Academic Resource Center, the Hale Center for Career Development, Study Away, and jointly supporting Fellowships and Scholarships in partnership with the Walter Commons, Dean Smith supports the realization of an integrated and engaged student experience.
Prior to joining Connecticut College, Dean Smith completed nearly 21 years of service at Brandeis University, most recently having served as Dean of Academic Services from 2016 to 2021. Dr. Smith earned a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University, where she matriculated as a Posse Scholar, a master of education in Education Policy and Management from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a master’s and Ph.D. in Social Policy from Brandeis’ Heller School for Social Policy and Management.
Director of Student Counseling Services
Janet Spoltore holds a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from the University of Delaware and a master's in clinical psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She completed her internships at Boston VA Medical Center and Boston University Medical Center and held previous academic appointments at Harvard Medical School, Tufts Medical School and Antioch University.