On Feb. 18, Augustana students who receive academic accommodations received an email stating that the Director of Accessibility Services and TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO-SSS) Jason Stalides would be leaving his position to pursue a job at another institution. Stalides’ last day as director was Tuesday, Feb. 25.
Stalides first came to Augustana in 2021 to serve as the director of the college’s TRIO-SSS program. It wasn’t until 2023 that he also took on the role of director of accessibility services.
With Stalides gone, Associate Vice President for Retention and Student Success Kristin Douglas will now serve as the Interim Director of Accessibility Services until the position is filled. She said the position’s responsibilities include assisting students with academic accommodations and sharing accommodation details with professors.
“There are frequently conversations and questions about ‘How do I implement a particular accommodation in my course?’” Douglas said. “There was a lot of communication between faculty and Jason to assist them in being able to meet students’ needs.”
Assistant Dean and Director of Student Well-Being and Resiliency Farrah Roberts said Stalides heavily contributed to many campus policies and processes surrounding the administration of student accommodations.
Roberts said one of these is Augustana’s Modified Attendance Policy (MAP). MAP allows students to accrue additional absences outside of traditional attendance policies, she said.
“This became a bigger project after the college instituted the new attendance policy that faculty voted on,” Roberts said. “[Jason] worked with the committee to ensure that the process was easier for faculty to implement and less burdensome on the students as well.”
As for Stalides’ role as the director of TRIO-SSS, Douglas said that Stalides undertook both programmatic duties and student outreach.
“He was the person who was doing much of the recruitment of students, reaching out to students to help them understand how the TRIO programs could benefit them,” Douglas said.
Academic Counselor and Engagement Specialist Anna Badamo said that TRIO-SSS is a federally funded grant program that aims to provide support services to first-generation students and students with disabilities.
Though the search for a new Director of TRIO-SSS has not yet begun, Bandamo said that students should take any opportunity to get involved in the transitions being caused by Stalides’ departure.
“If you really liked something someone was doing, or if you really disliked something that was happening, now is a great time to tell people,” Bandmo said. “I think it’s really important that students know that they can have a role in who is going to be in these positions that impact their time on campus.”
As for a new Director of Accessibility Services, Douglas said that the search for a replacement has been underway since Stalides first gave notice of his departure.
“We had candidates on campus this week for that position, so we hope that the transition time is going to be pretty short,” Douglas said.
A number of departments will be involved in the hiring process, Roberts said, such as Civil Rights Director and Title IX Coordinator Steve Wehling. The hiring panel includes campus directors, members of the faculty and the Provost, she said, along with students having lunch with prospective candidates.
As interim Director of Accessibility Services, Douglas said that it’s crucial for students to know that the transition will not affect their accommodations. Additionally, she said that whoever replaces Stalides will be taking up a full-time position, as opposed to having their time split between TRIO-SSS and ODS.
“We anticipate that this will provide even more availability for students and allow us to provide even more support in ways that we haven’t been able to in the past,” Douglas said. “Even though Jason is leaving the role, the support that we’re providing students is still there.”
