Freshmen aren’t the only new faces on campus this year. Another recent addition to the Meredith community is the new Assistant Dean of Students, Bailey Dunn-Phillips. A Meredith graduate, Dunn-Phillips, who uses she/they pronouns, is excited to be back on campus in an administrative role assisting students as we begin the 2022-2023 school year.
When asked what appealed to them about the position of Assistant Dean of Students, Dunn-Phillips said that the best thing is “the ability it gives me to support students, both directly and through specific programming efforts and policy development.” She said that the Assistant Dean of Students while she was attending Meredith, Tomecca Sloane, was an invaluable resource for her during her freshman year and a large part of her decision to pursue a career in Student Affairs.
One of Dunn-Phillips’ major goals for her time here is to “engage with campus partners, in all areas, to optimize the support systems we have, or plan to develop, to support our students; particularly those students who experience challenges as barriers to graduation or feeling safe in our community.” They said that interacting with students is really important to them and they plan to do so both through events and organizations but also on an informal basis whenever students are in her office, located on the second floor of Cate Student Center. Dunn-Phillips also expressed interest in being a faculty member on a future Study Abroad trip.
The best way the Meredith community can support Dunn-Phillips as they enter this new role is to “deeply reflect on the values and mission of Meredith, specifically as a co-created community.” They went on to explain that this means students both advocating for themselves and fellow students, while also being willing to take accountability for how their actions impact others on campus. They also stressed the importance of sharing experiences with the Dean of Students office so that they can help support students through the challenges that college life brings.
Prior to taking this position and during their maternity leave, Dunn-Phillips worked as an Alpaca Farmer and Land Manager at a local farm to develop a large-scale organic permaculture food forest. Outside of the office, they enjoy spending time with their wife, child and two pitbulls—Yaz and Chet (on Instagram at @pairopupalupagus). Both dogs have been trained with hand signals because Yaz is deaf. The family owns a vintage ‘87 Volkswagen Vanagon campervan named Ruth Vana-Gonsberg. When not busy with work and parenting, Dunn-Phillips enjoys woodworking as a creative outlet.
To get in contact with Dunn-Phillips, students can email them at bdphillips@meredith.edu.
By Clary Taylor, Copy Editor
Great article. Welcome Bailey!