Joe DiChristina resigns and heads to Allegheny

Student life has gone through many changes over the past years. As new faces shuffled in and out of the dean's office, one constant remained. Associate Dean of Student Life Joe DiChristina, behind the scenes as he was for most of his Oberlin tenure, slipped out of sight this summer.

"I think Joe was the best-kept secret of Oberlin College," said close friend and co-worker Yeworkwha Belachew, interim dean of residential life.

DiChristina resigned mid-summer, accepting a position at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania. DiChristina informed Dean of Student Life Peter Goldsmith of his intended resignation at the end of June, and officially announced it a few days later. Allegheny hired DiChristina as an associate dean for experimental learning.

A veteran administrator, working at Oberlin since 1990, DiChristina had a longer administrative tenure at Oberlin College than President Nancy Dye and Dean of the College Clayton Koppes, and saw more than his share of deans of student life, including Charlene Cole-Newkirk, Deb McNish and briefly Goldsmith.

DiChristina did not spend all nine years here at Oberlin. He took one year off to travel and research. "I caught the Oberlin bug at the time, which was to take a break," said DiChristina. With the benefit of a scholarship, DiChristina toured South Africa during his year away from Oberlin.

DiChristina, who graduated from Beloit College in 1987 and earned his M.A. from Northeast Missouri State University in 1990, holds a degree in higher education. While in South Africa, he studied the relationship of the South African government and South African Universities during the height of apartheid.

His year away from Oberlin made a profound impact upon his career. His traveling experience would lead him to Allegheny to explore his interests in overseas education. His new position at Allegheny involves their "May term," a period of study similar to Oberlin's Winter Term except it occurs after graduation.

DiChristina will help to shape the relatively new program, which connects both career services and study abroad programs. "It seemed like a real positive opportunity for me - making a connection with faculty members and students," said DiChristina. He will also enjoy an increase of responsibility, working with three full-time directors and a staff of 12.

Although his job does not afford him time to go abroad himself, he may make some time for travel in the future. DiChristina said, "I hope in two years I can settle in here and look to moving on. Overseas travel is certainly not a priority."

In addition to DiChristina's travel interest, there were some other factors that contributed to his departure. DiChristina had worked closely with McNish, but the College selected Goldsmith in a nationwide search to replace Cole-Newkirk. "I had created a positive relationship with Deb, and enjoyed working with her. The College decided to hire someone else. [McNish's departure was] a factor, not an overriding issue," said DiChristina.

DiChristina explained that he did not have any problems working with Goldsmith, and that Goldsmith did not affect his decision to move on to Allegheny. DiChristina said, "I felt that he would have respected my work and I would have worked with him." However, DiChristina did not doubt that he would have remained at Oberlin if McNish had remained. "Would I have put an application had the change not happened? Probably not," said DiChristina.

DiChristina appreciated his experience at Oberlin, and attributes his success to his time at Oberlin. "I would not be sitting in this chair at Allegheny today if I didn't have the experience I got at Oberlin," said DiChristina.

One of his last projects at Oberlin was organizing the orientation leaders for the incoming first-year class. He left Oberlin before he could see his work put into action. "I was very sad during the month of August," said DiChristina.

He did have some new friends at Allegheny to keep him busy upon arrival. Along with 50 student leaders and seven administrators, DiChristina went on a camping retreat when he arrived on campus. he said, "That helped me get into the sense of what the student body is."

DiChristina may be on his way to making new friendships with faculty and students at Allegheny, but he will still be missed by his Oberlin friends. Belachew said, "I miss him immensely. He was not only my colleague, he was also my brother."

DiChristina hits the hoops: Did Oberlin drop the ball in losing "the best-kept secret" of the college? (file photo)