Administrative hires see changes in commandant's office

By William Knox
Norwich Guidon Campus Editor

Norwich University student body administration has undergone a major reorganization and is now under the direct authority of a single administrator. In the past, the administrations governing the two student bodies were separate. Now, however, both lifestyles fall under the authority of the vice president for student affairs, consolidating the two administrations.

Colonel Michael McKean also fills the position left by last year's retirement of Colonel Leonard Doscinski as commandant of cadets.

In addition to the vacancy created by Doscinski's retirement, Major Michael Abraham, USMC (Ret.), left the commandant's office to become the chief of security.

Major Scott Jennings, USA (Ret.), has also left the commandant's office, leaving a total of three vacancies.

Two alumni of the Norwich Cadet Corps, Major Joyce Rivers, a 1987 graduate, and Major Russell Holden, a 1973 graduate, have returned to fill the vacancies along with McKean.

"This is what I love," Rivers said, "During my interview I said, 'I love the military, I love my alma mater, and I love working with young people.'"

Maj. Helen Bryan, assistant commandant and director of the housing office, said she believes having new people in the commandant's office is advantageous.

"There's always the need for new blood," said Bryan. She thinks the new staff will be trained "first and foremost by the corps." She feels that the experience of the cadets who have consistently held leadership positions will be valuable training for the new assistant commandants.

"They know what to do. I've always found in assignments, that the wise thing to do is to listen to your NCOs, and they will train you," said Bryan.

Rivers said her experience as a cadet graduate gives her valuable insight as to the goals and direction of the Corps of Cadets.

"As an alumna, I'm concerned for the welfare and the perpetuance of the University," Rivers said.

"When I was a cadet here, it was all military. I'm not saying we should go back to that, but we should keep our military character. We should keep the Corps of Cadets intact and separate from the military departments. I think a lot of alumni feel that way."

Rivers believes that, unlike most alumni, she is now in a position to take a highly active role in determining the future of the Corps.

"By being here, I can have a bigger part than an alumnus who just casts a vote or writes a letter," Rivers said. "I hope that I can do a little bit more being physically here and having a position at the University."

Rivers earned her degree in only three years and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army's Intelligence branch. She spent just over a year in Korea working in a joint American/South Korean Army headquarters.

"The 13 months I spent in Korea were great," Rivers remembers. "I was a special staff officer to General Burba on all matters pertaining to security, and I was a special security detachment commander in charge of everything classified north of Seoul."

After three years of active duty, Rivers transferred to the reserve corps and switched from the intelligence branch to civil affairs.

"It's a part of special operations," Rivers said. "Civil affairs and psychological operations. We do everything from peace keeping and humanitarian relief to advising the commander on the affects of certain courses of action during combat. In any war, you're going to have a civilian populous, and that's what civil affairs deals with."

The diversity of the branch has required Rivers to become trained in a wide range of new skills such as combat lifesaving and hazardous materials handling.

"Going from military intelligence to civil affairs, there's a lot of schooling that I have to finish." Rivers said. "Basically, what I've been doing the last couple of years is getting every school in that I can."

The transfer from active duty to the reserves made it possible for Rivers to pursue her dream of a career in teaching. Before coming to Norwich, she was a science teacher at the Northstar Christian Academy.

"I love the field of education and young people," Rivers said. "I've taught young people for the last seven years. They're different from kids when I was a kid in the '80s. There are a lot of social factors that play into that, but I see Norwich as the bastion of character and integrity, and I want to keep it that way. "

Rivers' life took a sudden turn in April, 2001, when she received a call from Colonel Robert Beaudoin, USMC (Ret.), then commanding officer of Norwich University's Naval ROTC unit and head of the school's Leadership Development Program.

"Colonel Beaudoin called me and told me that there was an opening in the commandant's office," Rivers said. "I had applied for the position of director of leadership development programs a year ago, and he still had my resume on file. Judging by my resume, he strongly encouraged me to apply for this position."

Rivers sent her resume in April and was interviewed for the position of assistant commandant the following month. Three weeks later, she was notified that she had been accepted and gave Northstar Academy notice that she would be leaving for VT.

"It's been a pretty hectic four months. I've been darting around the whole northeast. I hope that part is done for a while. I'm tired of being on the road."

Rivers welcomes the move. She believes that it will allow her to explore new avenues of education not possible in a traditional classroom.

"I wanted to get out of the classroom, because the classroom is an artificial, antagonistic environment," Rivers said. "In a high school setting, students are there because they have to go to school. Their attitude is, 'I have to be here and I don't like the fact that you are grading me, you're evaluating me, and you're judging my work.' So there's always a little bit of hostility in a classroom environment."

In the role of assistant commandant, Rivers believes she will avoid the adversarial atmosphere of secondary school and have a closer relationship with students.

"I don't see the commandant's office as antagonistic," Rivers said. "Students that are at Norwich are, for the most part, here because they want to be here. Here I get to sit down and talk to students, not as the teacher with the stick, but as a mentor or a coach."

According to Rivers, students will find her easygoing with a mind towards having fun while accomplishing the task at hand.

"As far as my leadership style goes, I'm easy to get along with, but don't take advantage of me," Rivers said. "I like to have fun after the work is done. It's preferable to have fun while you're doing the work as long as it gets done. I don't believe in a heavy hand if it's unnecessary. For some, that's their leadership style, but that's not me. I've worked for women who had something to prove. I don't."

Rivers' duties as assistant commandant currently include responsibility for the corps first and second battalions, an advisory position in both the Norwich Independent Battery and the Cavalry unit, the S4 supply commandant, and the community service coordinator.

There is a citation hinging on the wall in Rivers' office from the Norwich Mountain Cold Weather Company. Of the Vermont winters, Rivers said, "It's not cold here."

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