Dr. Kathryn Kay Coquemont, associate vice president of student success at Salt Lake Community College, departed the college this week to act as the dean of students and associate vice president at Macalester College in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
“It’s been an honor to serve, learn with, and grow alongside SLCC students and staff,” Coquemont said. “I know that the student and staff leaders will continue to inspire hearts and minds and improve processes and programs. Although I won’t be part of the team anymore, I will remain a cheerleader, eager to shout encouragement and celebrate the great future progress that I know is coming.”
Coquemont, who received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and completed her doctorate at the University of Utah, initially joined SLCC in November 2017 as assistant vice president for student development before accepting her latest SLCC position in July 2019.
As associate vice president for student success, Coquemont oversaw the seven departments in student success, which includes academic advising, career services, and diversity and multicultural affairs. She also co-chaired the Guided Pathways Collaborative Work Team in 2019.
According to Coquemont, her job at SLCC focused on removing barriers barring students from success.
“My belief is that higher education should be available to anyone who wants it, and there should be equal opportunities for success,” Coquemont told The Globe earlier this year. “Unfortunately, the barriers to this are not simply on our campus, but in society at large.”
In an email announcing Coquemont’s departure, Charles Lepper, vice president for student affairs and enrollment management, said Coquemont has made “outstanding contributions to the college in the areas of student success, equity and inclusion, and academic advising.”
At Macalester College, Coquemont will hold the senior-most student affairs position and is excited to serve students in new ways.
“Because Macalester is much smaller than SLCC, it is likely that I will be able to know every student by name,” she said.
Coquemont also thanked her SLCC colleagues and expressed anticipation in forming similar connections in Minnesota.
“I have been grateful to have had incredible colleagues, friends, and mentors at SLCC like Dr. Chuck Lepper, Provost Clifton Sanders, and President Deneece Huftalin,” Coquemont said.
She continued, “I look forward to cultivating the same friendship and mentorship with Macalester’s President and Provost, two incredible women of color who will bring new lived experiences to what they will share and teach me.”
