By Grace Apostol
Elm Staff Writer
Director of The Office of Academic Services Hilary Bateman was named assistant dean of Advising and Academic Advocacy of Washington College.
The overseer of the course mentor and academic recovery programs, Bateman has been a member of the WC community since 2015, and director of OAS since 2018.
In her new position, Bateman will be “shoring up” the faculty advisors within the College community by supporting the advisors on the staff side and providing the resources to faculty in order to give “high-quality” advising.
“I get to work with students in every phase of college,” she said.
Senior and OAS Assistant Madison Krivda worked with Bateman since her freshman year at WC, and views Bateman as a helpful and supportive cohort.
“Bateman is always supportive and allows for creative freedom within OAS,” she said. “She regularly checks in with me both mentally and academically and has always been a listening, empathetic ear.”
Bateman grew up in Berks County, Pa. and attended Albright College, where she received her bachelor’s in history, Bateman moved to Penn State to receive a Masters of Education in College Affairs. From there, Bateman worked for 10 months as an academic program manager in the biomedical programs at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
“There is a reason I left Drexel,” Bateman said. “I would say a big piece of it is that the community of support here is different, like working at a graduate school versus working at a four-year undergraduate school is very different serving a different type of student.”
OAS Disability Access Specialist Alex Crabtree has worked with Bateman since 2021.
“She has helped me in a multitude of ways since I first came to WC,” Crabtree said. “With my role as DAS being my first full-time position in higher education, I have had plenty of opportunities to learn and grow, [and] Bateman has been very supportive and served as a sounding board and guide whenever I’ve faced challenging questions and situations.”
In her new position, Bateman will aid and support faculty advisors and advising model, as well as work with Presidential Fellows.
“I think we have all noticed that our advisors are great, I love our faculty advising model,” Bateman said. “I’m excited to give them some support to better support our students, and they are doing so much that they deserve support on the staff side.”
In her seven years so far at WC, according to Krivda, Bateman left a lasting impact on both students and faculty alike, and will continue to do so.
“[Bateman] has not only been a great boss, but also a great mentor,” Krivda said. “She has helped me through getting into graduate programs and navigating that process. She is one of my favorite people here at WC and it’s always been an honor to work with her.”
Photo by Kayla Thornton
Featured Photo Caption: Having been a member of Washington College since 2015, Director of Office of Academic Services and new Assistant Dean of Advising and Advocacy Hilary Bateman seeks to bring “high-quality” advising to campus.