Meet New Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs Rich DeCapua
On November 15, Rich DeCapua joined Tufts in a new role of Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs, AS&E. He is working closely with Camille Lizarríbar, Dean of Student Affairs and Chief Student Affairs Officer, on day-to-day operations, as well as a strategic planning process. "Right now, my main goals are creating student advisory groups, looking at all of our high-impact programs for students and evaluating their effectiveness, and reimagining the student experience, particularly in a post-COVID world," he said.
Dean DeCapua was drawn to Tufts because of Dean Lizarríbar and the environment that she fosters for both students and colleagues and "of course, the students, whom I've had a lot of interaction with, even though it's only been two months. In my opinion, Tufts students come as advertised. They are very bright, genuine, down-to-earth. They genuinely want to get to know you, and they want to have conversations about big ideas," he said.
He has worked in higher education for his entire career. Previously, Dean DeCapua was Director of Residence Life and Housing at Brandeis University and Associate Dean of Students at Boston College, where he was in charge of the orientation programs. As a result, "I am keenly aware of the hopes and fears that parents and family members have for their students when they come to an institution. That's part of the excitement of my role at Tufts. I've worked with this population before, and I'm excited to get to know a whole new group. Dean Lizarríbar and I want parents and families to know that we are partners with you," he said.
