He holds a Ph.D. in mental health counseling, but his main interest is in student development, focusing not only on the intellectual aspects of growth, but also on emotional, physical, spiritual and social growth. These human skills are important to everyone to develop and Tom hopes that the Counseling and Student Development Center can help.
The environment which Tom sees as ideal for the center is one where students feel they can come and talk, find mentoring, counseling and help with their problems. He wants everyone to learn to become wise adults and hopes that he can develop programs which will help in the areas of leadership, relationships, self-esteem and communications to name a few.
There is always some idea that the center exists for the 35-50 students who are having trouble, but this is really not what the center is all about. It is there for every student and to make themselves available, Tom hopes to initiate a weekly column in Newspeak, develop a Web page, organize evening programs and hold an open house sometime at the beginning of the next term.
One of his major goals is to be available for the things that many students feel no one can help them with, from sports psychology and stress management to spiritual issues. He feels that the time between the ages of 18 and 24 are a time of "blossoming into your own identity" and that college is the first time that many see that all of the pushing they have received in their lives has to stop. It is the time to decide what it is that you value and believe.
Tom entered the profession to help people become complete adults. One way in which he has done this at other schools is with a program called "Passage". In just a few short words, which hardly give the whole program justice, it is a study of how other cultures initiate their young men and women into adulthood. There is a study of what adulthood is and how to move into it and at the end, there is a real initiation ceremony which the program participants take part in.
Because it has been so successful at other schools (this is Tom's third directorship, having previously worked at the University of Minnesota, Morris and at New England College), Tom hopes to start the program here.
Besides being counselor, Tom is a bit of an athlete, before a car accident damaged his knee, he was an Ironman Triathlete, and he ran marathons and participated in bike races. He has also coached track and now that he has, in his opinion, "gotten plump" he still enjoys working with athletes and coaching. He plays chess and enjoys walking in the woods and being close to nature, he has a wife, Kathryn and a daughter, Annika. They usually become a part of the campus, Tom says, and family is tremendously important to him.
His basic premise is counter to the old adage, "Ignorance is bliss." He feels: "What you aren't knowledgeable about, what you aren't aware of, what you don't believe in or value, is just as impactful on your life, and on your environment, as what you are knowledgeable about, what you are aware of, and what you do believe in or value."
This is fitting, as he seems to be aware of many of the good things in life and very willing to share them with the people he meets. He encourages all students to just stop by the center, located at 157 West St., to say hello and just hang out.
Give feedback: newspeak@wpi.wpi.edu