Ellington

Dean of Students Matt Andrzejewski and Associate Dean of Students Bronwyn Rout have become an integral part of the Harlaxton experience, not only for the work they do with the school but in the relationships they have built with the students.  However, within the last few weeks, they have announced their plans to resign at the end of spring semester.

The dean and associate dean jobs tend to be relatively temporary, only lasting two to four years said Principal Gordon Kingsley. So the news of their resignations did not come as a surprise, but their shared departure date caused the Student Affairs Office to go through a big transition trying to bring in their replacements.

Sophomore Justina Forsythe thinks Andrzejewski and Rout are the backbone of student life at Harlaxton and said they try to give the students the best study-abroad experience they can.

"They are kind of like the mother and father of Harlaxton. Matt is the disciplinarian and Bronwyn is so kind she always wants to know how you're doing," she said. "But they're also not like other grownups that aren't accommodating. They treat us like adults."

Andrzejewski said he has worked at Harlaxton for the past two years, and his main concern is the safety and welfare of the students. He is responsible for assigning roommates, enforcing the discipline policy, chaperoning the school-sponsored trips and organizing the basketball team.

Reflecting on his time here, Andrzejewski said he greatly enjoyed the manor and working with the students, especially when he couriered the school trips.

"It's wonderful to see the reactions of the students when they see the sights for the first time," he said. "It's part of the Harlaxton experience. It encompasses everything Harlaxton stands for, always learning and seeing new things."

Sophomore B.J. Hardy went on a school trip to Ireland with Andrzejewski and remembers having fun seeing all the sights with him.

"I remember when Matt thought he saw the dolphin Fungi in one of the bays and it was just a rock, but he got us all excited about it," he said. "He's a fun administrator, very young and outgoing."

Another part of his job includes being on call for the students, and he said it is the most tiring part of his job.

"This is my seventh year in a live-in situation, and in a job like this where I'm on call, you get worn out very quickly," he said. "But the students really make it worth the effort because I feel like every day I'm doing something good."

In the other half of the Student Affairs Office, Rout is the major contributor to the organization and management of student activities. She plans and chaperones the school-sponsored trips and assists in creating school activities like the costume ball at the end of the semester and organizes the volleyball team.   

Rout's three and a half years at Harlaxton was a wonderful experience for her both professionally and personally, she said, but similar to Andrzejewski, she found that working around the clock can really take its toll.

"I just want to be able to commit to something like a dance class or something during the week, which can be difficult to do with my work schedule," she said. "I still love working here but sometimes when you love a place you should leave while things are still good." 

These losses not only affect the students but will also affect the transition of their replacements.

Gordon Kingsley, who is personally responsible for hiring their replacements, said that losing both deans at once is difficult.

"Usually when a dean leaves, the other one is still there to help with the new person," he said. "But this time it will be much harder to achieve continuity because you lose all the memory."

The dean of students job is advertised as a two-year position and it generally requests an American for the position. Kingsley said he tries to search for replacements within house at the Evansville campus or in the partner colleges because they are better acquainted with the American higher-education system. 

"British schools are very different than schools in the United States. British schools are very hands-off," he said. "For instance, if we have a disciplinary problem, the procedures need to be the same as it would be back home, so we need someone who knows the system."

Kingsley said he has received more than 30 applicants for the positions and will have the final decision by the end of the semester. Both Andrzejewski and Rout will be leaving in May.

Forsythe thinks Harlaxton will be different once they leave.

"I can't imagine Harlaxton without a Bronwyn and a Matt," she said. "Hopefully the next successors will be able to fill their big shoes."

Andrzejewski has provisionally accepted a job to become the head of student housing at the Royal Hollaway University of London and will begin work as soon as his work visa paperwork is approved.

Rout has plans to return to her home in Australia to see her family for a few months but said she will greatly miss her Harlaxton family when she goes.

"I am definitely going to miss the people I work with and watching the students grow," she said. "I hope that one day when students look back on their experience here and remember me that maybe I had a impact on their lives in some way."