By Tucker Paquette
@tpaquette17
Rachel Rubinstein started serving as the Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Springfield College in 2021. Before Springfield, Rubinstein worked at several other colleges, including Hampshire College. Most of Rubinstein’s work prior to arriving on Alden Street focused on student-focused support, setting her up nicely for her role as Dean. Rubinstein values building relationships with those on Springfield’s campus, and is always trying to learn more about the college. The Student sat down with her to discuss the importance of connecting with students and faculty, what her day-to-day job entails and more.
The Student: What is the path that led you to Springfield College?
Rubinstein: I was a professor for many, many years at Hampshire College. While I was a faculty member there in literature, I started serving as the Dean of Academic Support and Advising, and I did that for about six years, and I really loved that work. Then I left Hampshire and went to Holyoke Community College, where they were combining academic affairs and student affairs into one division, and that was really exciting. As the Dean of Advising, I had worked with student affairs quite a bit, and I loved those colleagues and really believed in bringing those areas together. Then the pandemic hit, and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education was mounting a huge project around equity in higher ed, and they needed someone to support that work. It was a big report on the state of equity in higher education, in public higher education in Massachusetts, and a set of recommendations around how to enhance equity in higher ed. It felt like a really exciting project. I went to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Ed, and I supported that task force, which included students, staff, faculty and leaders from all of the public higher ed institutions. Doing that work made me realize that I really wanted to be back on a campus, to take what I had learned in terms of best practices and see how to put them into action.
The Student: What factors made you want to work at Springfield College?
Rubinstein: It’s in Western Massachusetts, which is my home, and I love this area. And then the opportunity to be the Dean of Arts and Sciences because one of the things I loved about being the Dean of Advising at Hampshire was that I engaged with faculty and students from across the whole college, and so the arts and sciences just in the disciplinary diversity was really exciting to me. So I get to work with faculty and students in the sciences and the arts and the humanities, but also professional programs like business and criminal justice and education, and so those were the things that drew me to this position and this college. And I love the mission also. I mean, everyone says that, but I was really, really compelled by the mission. Not just the mind, body, spirit, but the leadership and service to others piece really spoke to me.
The Student: What is your favorite part about being the Dean of Arts and Sciences?
Rubinstein: I really like people. I like talking to people. I like learning about people. I really enjoy working with faculty. I love learning about what faculty do and their professional journeys and their scholarship and their teaching. I love being invited to classes and watching faculty teach. I think the faculty here are amazing teachers, and I really enjoy learning about the cool things that our faculty are doing. So that part is really fun. Talking to students, working with students, learning about students is always really fun. Just engaging with the people and building those relationships across the college.
The Student: What do you like most about Springfield College?
Rubinstein: The school spirit. I’ve never seen so many students wearing their college apparel as I do here. I love how all-in the students are. It’s a really nice atmosphere.
The Student: What is the most important thing you’ve learned over the course of your time at Springfield College?
Rubinstein: I’ve learned a lot about the programs that I oversee. I’ve learned a lot about so many different fields and so many different disciplines, and that’s been incredibly valuable. I think as an institution, the college really cherishes its history, its traditions and its rituals. I think those things are really important, but I also think a lot about how you change an institution when people really love the traditions and the history and the rituals. So I’m learning a lot about how you make change while staying true to a place’s history and a place’s identity.
The Student: What does a typical day look like for you?
Rubinstein: I have a lot of meetings. I have regular meetings with all the chairs in my area, maybe some committees that I sit on. So there’ll be some group meetings and then a lot of meetings with individuals. I’ll have one-on-one meetings with my chairs or meetings with students who are having conflicts or issues. And when I have quiet time, I’m signing a lot of forms. A lot of paperwork around course substitutions or things like that, but also getting to read about what kinds of scholarship faculty are doing and they’re looking for support or applying for funding. I get to read about everything that they’re doing, reading faculty files or about their work, looking at their syllabi, things like that. So it’s a lot of talking to people and then a lot of respecting the processes that keep this place running.
The Student: What is your favorite spot on campus?
Rubinstein: I always say that the VAPA [Visual and Performing Arts] floor in Blake. It doesn’t look like any other spot on campus. It preserves the kind of industrial, steam punky kind of feel of the original mill building of Blake. It smells like clay and paint. The Blizzard Art Gallery is there, and student artwork lines the walls, and you can see sculpture and painting and computer labs and maker spaces. And there’s a big chalkboard that people write on. It’s just a fantastic space that doesn’t look like any other space filled with art. So that’s my favorite spot.
(Photo by Tucker Paquette/The Student)