Barnard’s Director of Financial Aid Alison Rabil, BC ’86, will step down from her position at the college in mid-October, Dean Dorothy Denburg announced in an e-mail.
Rabil has been at Barnard since January 2005, and will become the assistant vice provost and director of financial aid at Duke University.
While at Barnard, Rabil increased the financial aid office’s online accessibility. According to the e-mail, Rabil has a combined experience of 20 years working in financial aid. Denburg said Rabil’s leadership increased the productivity and serviceability of the office.
“Alison initiated a loan counseling program which reduced private loan debt among Barnard student families by 73 percent from $1.5 million to approximately $430,000,” Denburg said. “The average debt among our graduating seniors declined from $19,500 in 2005 to $17,000 in 2008.”
Denburg lauded the contributions made by Rabil during her three-year tenure, and said that the outgoing director will be missed. “Her new position at Duke enables her to return to her hometown and to be close to her parents and represents an opportunity for further professional growth,” she said.
Barnard will immediately commence a search for the next financial aid director. Rabil's departure, combined with an open slot in the post of vice president for institutional advancement and the appointment of new President Debora Spar, formerly of Harvard Business School, puts Barnard in a position to completely realign the way it handles money. Spar has said that once the institutional advancement position is filled, she will work on a new fundraising plan for Barnard, a school whose endowment lags significantly behind those of its peers.
Rabil’s departure comes during an administrative shakeup at Barnard. This fall, Gretchen Young will begin as dean for study abroad. Previous Study Abroad Dean Hillary Link will take over as assistant provost and dean for international programs. Spar is about one month into her tenure as president.
Due to flux in other areas in the dean of studies' office, Pre-Law Dean Christina Kuan Tsu will become a full-time employee. She and Pre-Health Dean Ani Bournoutian will split the duties of sophomore class dean. For more information on administrative changes, see columbiaspectator.com/node/31182 and columbiaspectator.com/node/55246.
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