When Melodye Mac Alpine stepped onto the campus of Willamette University this week, her arrival signaled a beginning and an end. Mac Alpine is the College of Law's new associate dean for Student Affairs and Administration; she succeeds Danny Santos, who is retiring after five years at the university.
Curtis Bridgeman, dean of the College of Law, said the school is thrilled to welcome Mac Alpine.
“She has a wealth of both experience and training in student services, in particular with graduate and professional students,” Bridgeman said. “We feel she is a perfect fit for Willamette.”
Mac Alpine has a long history with higher education, having spent the last six years as the director of graduate and professional student services at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon. In that position, she provided support and advocacy for more than 1,800 students in five colleges. She also worked for four years at Pacific’s College of Optometry and for one year at Becker College in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“Her interest in student success and the success of the broader law school community makes her a great choice to be our new associate dean for student affairs and administration,” outgoing Dean Santos said.
Mac Alpine said she considers herself a “policy nerd,” because she loves digging into the whys and hows of what administration does, and she continually asks, “Is this still working for our students?”
She said she’s excited to continually develop her career and network so she can be a positive influence on students and colleagues.
“I'm excited to bring a student affairs perspective to the College of Law, with the goal of enriching the student experience and contributing to their success,” Mac Alpine said. “I feel incredibly fortunate to be joining the Willamette community.”
About Willamette University College of Law
Opened in 1883, Willamette University College of Law is the first law school in the Pacific Northwest. The college has a long tradition at the forefront of legal education and is committed to the advancement of knowledge through excellent teaching, scholarship, mentoring and experience. Leading faculty, thriving externship and clinical law programs, ample practical skills courses, and a proactive career placement office prepare Willamette law students for today's legal job market. According to statistics compiled by the American Bar Association, Willamette ranks first in the Pacific Northwest for job placement for full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the class of 2014 and first in Oregon for the classes of 2012, 2013 and 2014. Located across the street from the state capitol complex and the Oregon Supreme Court in downtown Salem, the college specializes in law and government, law and business, and dispute resolution.