ResLife Coordinator Matt Keidan to leave TU

Residential Life Coordinator Matt Keidan is leaving Trinity at the end of the academic year.

Keidan decided last December to move to Washington, D.C., and go to graduate school to pursue a program in higher education and administration.

“I was actually in a master’s program at [the University of Texas] UT-Austin, but I wanted to go full time,” Keidan said. “It was the right time for a change.”

Keidan’s short-term goals include obtaining a doctorate and teaching, but he hopes one day to possibly become head of a university.

According to Keidan, he has spent the last seven years at Trinity between his days as a Trinity student and his career as a Residential Life coordinator. Keidan graduated from Trinity in spring 2002, when he worked as a resident assistant. He worked briefly in the business field before he was hired into a vacant Residential Life coordinator position in December 2002.

“He’s done so many things for the Residential Life staff,” said Resident Assistant Erin Curtiss, senior.

As Residential Life coordinator, Keidan had many responsibilities, including serving on numerous University committees as well as working as a liaison between students and the Residential Life Office.

“My main position is supervising resident assistants and resident mentors and being responsible for the students in the dorms,” Keidan said.

According to Curtiss, Keidan was always dependable to help his staff members, both as resident assistants and as students, and to help solve their problems.

“He’s always been there for me when I’ve called him at three in the morning, which was surprisingly often this year,” Curtiss said.

According to Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life David Tuttle, candidates are already being interviewed to find a third person to join Catherine Storey and Lin Fisher as Residential Life coordinators.

“There’s really a whole menu of things we’re looking for,” Tuttle said.

The qualities that Tuttle is looking for include the ability to work with the students, experience in the field of Residential Life, leadership skills and organization. According to Tuttle, it is hoped that the position will be filled within the next two weeks because since the job has a June 1 start date.

“The most important thing is that we find someone who has a good personality that fits with the University,” Tuttle said.

The Residential Life staff understands why Keidan has chosen to leave and know that he is going on to better things, according to Curtiss.

“Trinity is so lucky to have benefited from his presence these last few years, and we are sad to see him go,” Curtiss said.

By Vincent Goodwin