After a two year stint as dean of Residence Life, Henry Humphreys is stepping down from his post and moving on to Boston College where he will become director of Residential Life in October.
Citing personal reasons, Humphreys officially announced his resignation to his staff on the first day of Resident Assistant training on Aug. 20. The resignation takes effect Oct. 7.
“It’s not because of St. John’s,” he said. “If this job offer had never come, I would’ve been very happy here. The opportunity at Boston College is too great. Professionally it is a big step up.”
“I’ll also be living closer to my job which obviously will mean I can spend more time with my family,” he added. Humphreys currently commutes daily from Connecticut.
At Boston College, Humphreys will assume the helm of an 8,000 student residential program and 200 person staff. BC will also provide initial housing for Humphreys and his family.
Humphreys chose to remain at St. John’s until mid-semester so he could help open Donovan Hall, the newest residential building, and aid in the search for a replacement.
“I wanted to make sure I did the right thing by St. John’s,” he said. “I didn’t want to just pick up and run. I wanted to make sure that the buildings not only got open but also that everything was running smoothly before I left.”
Lyn Krueger, current associate director of Residence Life, who has been at SJU for over a year, will oversee the daily operations of Residence Life in October while the hunt for a replacement continues.
According to Susan Ebbs, senior vice president of Student Life, the search is in still in the preliminary stages and many different people are being screened. The majority of candidates have been from schools in the Northeast and all carry extensive residence life experience.
Ebbs also said that the residence life program has blossomed under Humphreys and finding a replacement will be difficult and may take the rest of the semester. “Boston College is lucky,” she said. “But we will get somebody that can keep the program going to a higher level.”
During his tenure at SJU, Humphreys helped develop a residence life judicial system in addition to the Residence Hall Association, a hall government system that puts on a wide array of social activities and educational programs throughout the year. Programs include organized trips to various sporting events and Manhattan.Humphreys had previously worked for eight years on the housing staff at Fairfield University before he was appointed dean at St. John”s in 2000 after the resignation of Fr. Bill Maher. Humphreys chose St. John’s because he wanted to help strengthen the burgeoning housing program.
While the New York native is looking forward to his new experiences at BC, he will miss the diversity of St. John’s and his staff the most. Humphreys also said that he is pleased to see that the campus culture is changing from a nine-to-five atmosphere to one with “weekend life” and that so many new students want to live in campus housing. “The thing I am proud about is that the whole residence life program is coming together,” he said. “It’s not only a viable part of campus but a highly desirable entity by students.”
The Residence Life staff, which was surprised at the announcement, said they will be sorry to see Humphreys go but understand his reasons. “I was surprised to hear that Henry was leaving, but at the same time [I’m] very happy for him,” Katie Heiman, a third year Resident Assistant, said. “I was really impressed to hear about [his] chance to spend more time with his wife and two daughters. Henry has been a great director and leader in our department. He goes above and beyond the line to defend and support his staff. I wish him the very best at BC.”
