The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/tag/dean-of-students/)
Dean of Students Vijay Pendakur is leaving Cornell after more than three years, which he spent working on diversity initiatives, helping Cornell respond to COVID-19 and providing financial support through the Access Fund.
“By virtue of being different — being Indian in an all black neighborhood — my sister and I felt like we had targets on our backs,” he said.
Pendakur highlighted moments in his life when he felt isolated and misunderstood, and discussed the importance of relationships between students and administrators.
Aside from his duties and responsibilities, Pendakur said he is also looking forward to having fun with students and getting to know them around campus.
“Students are out in front of us on a lot of these issues,” he said at the forum. “I am able to learn from my students, about the rapidly-evolving nature of trans-inclusion politics that they’re better at than me. It’s an inspiring and powerful moment, when I can listen and learn, by keeping students at the center.”
At the forum — where students were able to provide input on the search to replace former Dean Kent Hubbell ’69 — Mauro emphasized that helping students feel at home on campus is both “a community responsibility and a community benefit.”
“I am able to learn from my students, about the rapidly-evolving nature of trans-inclusion politics that they’re better at than me. It’s an inspiring and powerful moment, when I can listen and learn, by keeping students at the center.”
“[Hubbell’s] generosity of spirit and kindness is as real as any bridge or building ever constructed, and it is certainly more enduring,” Burke said.