Administrators come and go. Some of them make an incredible impact in their positions, and some you don’t know.
Bakersfield College Dean of Students Don Turney is one of those administrators who has made a positive impact on students and the student government here at BC. He will be switching to a faculty position in psychology in the spring.
It seems strange to us as a staff that an administrator like Turney is making this kind of switch between semesters. We are asking ourselves if there is possible tension between administrators.
He fights for student rights and might have been put into a tough spot, one that might be leaving him in a position of bitterness among fellow faculty members.
Although we know his health is now suffering due to his busy work schedule, the areas that he has supported as dean have flourished and become more fun for students.
Along with many other students, we wish he’d stay, because at the rate he has changed things for students in the past four years, who knows what could happen for these programs in 10 years?
This school could be at the top of its game. Student development starts with the students, and Turney was the beginning to an answer. We have seen him at his best and worst, physically and emotionally, and have been able to see that he loves his current job.
Through all his trials, he always puts the students first. As a staff we understand that it is going to be incredibly hard to find someone to replace this amiable man.
Turney’s switch of position will surely be felt on campus and affect the flow of things in the Campus Center. His presence is noticeable throughout the campus, and he has become a beacon of guidance and help to students and fellow faculty members. The thing about Turney is that he actually cares.
Once a BC student, his experience with the student public is profound. He understands what students’ needs are and how their freedom to make decisions on their own will eventually affect the way they learn and become better leaders for the future.
Not only did he lead the 2006-2007 Student Government to great success, but they also became one of the models for the American Student Government Association’s Web site.
BC is losing one of the best dean of students some faculty members have ever worked with. We hope the administration has done the right thing by letting him retreat instead of perhaps working with him to relieve whatever stress has affected his health.
Without a doubt, he will do well as a professor. Turney won the 2002-2003 Professor of the Year award. Many students will be fortunate to get him back in the classroom.