Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Kathleen Farley’s office resembled what many cubicles look like as the transition back to the office after a Pandemic does. Boxes stacked. Open walls begging for a picture or three. A handful of nicknacks and picture frames placed upon a desk with a stack of student surveys about coffee cup height. The newly inhabited office does not need those fixtures just yet as the second one meets Farley, her excitement ready to energize Salve students is palpable.
Hailing from Buffalo, New York, Farley began enjoying the scenery and culture of Newport in July 2021. Only visiting Newport one-time prior in the interview process, she has been able to soak in the oceanside experience. She describes the transition from upstate New York to Newport was smooth as she can find similarities in the close-knit feel residents have in both locations.
Prior to making the move to Newport, Farley continued her education at her alma mater, Canisius College, where she worked for their student affairs office for 14 years. Receiving a Bachelors in Education and Mathematics, later earning a Master’s in College Student Personnel Administration.
Farley, herself was educated at a Sisters of Mercy High School where she was exposed to their philanthropic efforts and their history. When looking at higher education institutions, Farley knew that she wanted to be an integral part of a Mercy institution as she experienced first-hand their ability to impact students and their community.
“It was important for me to work in an institution whose mission and values I felt like I could support and help advance through the student experience in some way.”
Farley describes needing to flex her creative muscles in order to feel like herself. In her free-time she enjoys photography where she assists friends in taking family and senior portraits, and shooting scenes in nature. Like many, during quarantine, she took the opportunity to take up a new hobby. While working at home, she found herself more and more in the kitchen learning how to cook and refine different recipes. Loving the content created by Bon Appetit, she has begun combining her hobbies and photographing the meals she has prepared.
Not only is Farley Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Salve Regina but she is a student working to get her doctorate. Through the University of Rochester, she is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Philosophy of High Education Administration. Farley understands now more than ever balancing work, cramming for exams, and the dreaded essay pushed until the night before. Her ability to connect with and empathize with our student body will be beneficial to her during her time at Salve.
Where is your ‘happy place’?
I love this question! My “happy place” is by the water. Although I grew up beside one of the Great Lakes, and not the ocean, I find peace and centering when near a body of water. It definitely helps to have access to a “happy place” right on campus! I try to find any opportunity to walk along the Cliff Walk when traveling in between meetings.
What do you consider to be the best advice you ever received? Who gave you that advice and did you follow that advice or not?
I was exchanging email with a friend and colleague at another university during a great deal of transition in my life. She sent me a prayer by a Jesuit named Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called “Patient Trust,” which ends by stating: “Give Our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you, and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete”. I love that advice because it’s a great reminder that everything may not always make sense in the moment, but it’s important to accept those moments for what they will bring you down the road in life. It’s about learning to find comfort and peace in moments of discomfort in life.
What are the top five items on your bucket list?
I’m a big believer in having a bucket list for each decade. I started this in my 20’s and plan to continue the trend. That way, I feel accountable in not waiting too long to check the items off the list! The items remaining on my current list are: finish my dissertation, visit where my family is from in Ireland, and enroll in another photography course.
What is a movie that you can watch over and over again?
I know this is a controversial opinion, but “Love Actually” is my favorite holiday movie and I watch it every year. I stand by my opinion!
Who has been your greatest inspiration?
I draw inspiration from both of my parents. I inherited my father’s dedicated work ethic and passion for reading. My mom greatly influenced my commitment to education and thoughtfulness, especially when it comes to generosity for others.
What is the biggest reward in your position?
The biggest reward in my position are, without a doubt, the connections that I make with students. When I was the Director of International Student Programs at my previous institution, I received a photo of one of my former Japanese students that married an American student. They invited their friends to attend the wedding in Japan. To see my former students from the US, Japan, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Spain, and Germany all celebrating a momentous occasion in life together was one of the coolest things. Knowing that you played a small role in helping them to establish those friendships and connections is so meaningful. I’m looking forward to experiencing those moments with students at Salve!
What was the best gift you ever received? Who was it from?
I’m sentimental and appreciate almost everything that is gifted to me, but my sweet niece recently made me a pillow right before I moved to Rhode Island. It’s now my travel pillow and I think of her whenever I use it. She’s super crafty.
What do you consider the world’s best invention? The worst?
I think cell phone cameras are simultaneously the best and the worst. They can be the worst when they distract us from living in the present and fully embracing moments, but they can also be the best in helping to document experiences and achievements. One of my favorite things to do with friends on New Year’s Eve is to review and share our year in photos from our phones.
By the end of your first year at Salve Regina, what is one goal big or small you’d like to achieve?
Taking in information from student surveys conducted at the beginning of this year, I really think about the transition as a first-year, in-person student, or graduate student. I think it’s a really important time now, specifically, not just because I just started this year, but also where we’re at, in the pandemic – coming out of a year and a half, where some students were almost all entirely remote depending on where they came from. I think the needs are different. So what I’m hopeful to do at the end of this year, is to have a plan in place of what that transition process could look like here to meet the needs of our students. I am hopeful that there will be some changes in really positive ways for next year’s program.
Edited: TBD
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