Monique Drucker officially assumed her responsibilities as Quinnipiac’s vice president (VP) and dean of students on April 1.

Drucker, who has worked at QU for 19 years and most recently held the position of associate vice president for student affairs, said she is “very excited about the opportunity” to serve the university community in this new role.

“I care about the students and the QU community a great deal,” she said. “I put the students at the center of my work and am committed to advocating for them and being their voice at the institutional level.”

As VP and dean, Drucker will report to Executive Vice President and Provost Mark Thompson and manage a staff of 57 employees. She will also oversee and take fiscal responsibility for the Division of Student Affairs, which includes campus life, residential life, fraternity and sorority life, student conduct, student health and counseling services, graduate student life, community service and orientation.

The institution has been without leadership in this role for almost two years, according to Drucker. She said that this might present a challenging transition but she is “eager” to work with the Division of Student Affairs’ staff.

“We have a very strong division with staff who are enthusiastic about serving our students in innovative and exceptional ways,” she said. “I’d like to see us partner with faculty and Academic Affairs in more intentional ways so that we can impact the student experience more seamlessly inside and outside the classroom.”

Drucker plans to enhance students’ experiences and success by evaluating the university’s current programs, practices and policies and promoting increased collaboration across the community.

“I take my responsibility to serve the students and the community very genuinely and seriously,” she said. “ I am accessible, and it’s important to me that students know they can come to Student Affairs to have their voice heard.”

Drucker’s promotion has been received well by the Quinnipiac community, and many of her colleagues have offered words of support.

“I am confident that Monique is the right person to lead the student affairs division,” Thompson said in a MyQ announcement. “[She] brings a demonstrated track record of success in enhancing service to students, promoting collaboration and accomplishing meaningful institutional change. I consider the role of the vice president and dean of students to be among the most important, given its breadth of responsibility and impact on student life.”

In an official statement, President John Lahey said: “This appointment reflects Monique’s demonstrated leadership and ability to keep abreast of national trends and best practices that will continue to enhance the student experience and student success at Quinnipiac.”

Drucker is proud of her employment history in education and has worked extensively with students in various areas of campus life and student health services.

Prior to working at Quinnipiac, she worked in the office of student life at the University at Buffalo where her primary responsibilities included orientation, campus-wide events and student union operations.

She was hired at Quinnipiac in January 1996 as the assistant director of the student center and was later promoted to associate director. Her primary responsibilities included Student Center operations, Senior Week, advisor to SGA and class cabinets, student organizations and leadership development.

During this time, she was also trained through Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services (CONNSACS) to be a certified sexual assault crisis counselor.

In 2002, she moved to the Dean of Students Office as the assistant dean of student affairs, where she focused on student conduct and alcohol and drug education and awareness. She was promoted to associate dean of student affairs in 2005 and began overseeing orientation, student organizations, Greek life, and the Office of Community Service.

Most recently in 2011, she was promoted to associate vice president for student affairs, where she supervised student conduct, student health services and counseling services. She was named the institutional Title IX Coordinator for the university and served as institutional representative for legal cases involving student conduct, student policies and procedures.

Outside of Quinnipiac, Drucker is a mother of four adopted children and recently completed her doctorate degree. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from State University New York at Fredonia and her master’s degree from the University at Buffalo, where she studied college counseling and administration.

Seann Kalagher, associate dean for student affairs, has worked with Drucker for six years and said she is absolutely the right fit for vice president and dean of students.

“She’s been involved with so many departments in student affairs at QU, which I think has given her a very unique perspective and a wide knowledge of what we do,” he said. “She’s always looking at things through the eyes of students; she’s always kept us grounded to that, which is very important.”

Kalagher said Drucker has always been supportive of her staff, valuing their ideas and encouraging them to do their best work for the university community. He knows this behavior will continue as she takes on her new role.

“We’re a student-centered campus and Monique does a good job of reminding us of that,” he said. “I’m looking forward to moving forward and seeing what direction our division goes in.”