Editor’s note: ‘Day in a Life’ is an occasional series chronicling the responsibilities of the newsmakers, characters and public figures on campus.

When Thomas Wolfe arrived at Syracuse University to be a Protestant chaplain at Hendricks Chapel, he expected his presence on campus to be brief. That was 21 years ago.

‘I came here, and I figured I would be here for four or five years, and then I would be moving on and doing something else,’ said Wolfe, now the dean of student affairs. ‘One morning I woke up and realized, ‘Wow, you really like this.’ So the question became, ‘What do I need to do to stay here?”

The answer: a Ph.D. from Syracuse in higher education. But Wolfe’s decision didn’t take him too far away from his religious roots.

‘We have always had this real emphasis on higher education,’ he said. ‘Someone said, ‘Why did I leave the church?’ I didn’t. I just moved over into another aspect.’

Wolfe has used his time at SU to build relationships with all aspects of the university that affect the lives of students.

Wolfe had a love of learning. But for him, things at SU changed quickly. Toward the end of receiving his degree, the dean of Hendricks at the time retired, and his colleagues suggested Wolfe fill the position. He questioned if that was the next step. He decided it was.

After eight and a half years of being a chaplain, he moved down the hall and spent the next 10 years as dean of Hendricks. Then Chancellor Nancy Cantor asked for him to step in and become the senior vice president and dean of student affairs. This year marks his third year in the position.

‘By then I was ready for a bigger challenge,’ he said. ‘I just would not have imagined this. Not in a million years.’

Wolfe credits obtaining the position to his own positive undergraduate experience and the relationships he formed with the faculty, who always encouraged him. He still maintains friendships with many of those who taught him.

Wolfe decided he’d adopt the role of a faculty member who participated in student development, worked collaboratively with others and mentored students.

His word of advice for students: Don’t be afraid to face problems head on.

‘Walk closer to anxiety, closer to things that are uncomfortable. Embrace them and learn from them,’ he said. ‘When you do that, something good happens.’

Many people may be unaware of what the dean of student affairs does, but Wolfe explained that he’s in charge of all nonacademic programs. Public safety, health and wellness, student organizations — you name it, he does it.

‘We are interested in their experiences and building a community with students starting with their first moments on campus,’ he said.

Wolfe has a strong connection to SU. His oldest daughter, son-in-law, father, aunt, uncles, cousin, wife and grandfather graduated from the university with degrees from either undergraduate or graduate programs. His youngest daughter currently attends the university.

He smiled: ‘I bleed orange in that regard.’

So, what’s a typical day for Wolfe? According to him, there isn’t one. But on Tuesday, Pulp followed him and chronicled a day in the life of Wolfe:

8 a.m.

Wolfe has been awake since 5 a.m. He already cleared his driveway and car to get to work.

Once he arrived, the self-proclaimed great list-maker creates new records of things to accomplish.

‘If it’s not in a list, I am holding it in my head, and that’s distracting with everything else,’ he said.

He also works on his to-do folder, filled with documents he has to consult people about.

E-mails flood his inbox. When Wolfe is not in meetings, he’s checking e-mails. He starts answering them at about 6:30 a.m. and doesn’t stop until 10 p.m.

10:30 a.m.

Wolfe treks across campus to meet with Doug Marrone, SU’s head football coach, and three other individuals.

This isn’t unusual, Wolfe said. He and Marrone have had previous meetings about procedures, programming and communication strategies.

‘It was a positive meeting that strengthens our relationship and gives support to student athletes,’ Wolfe said.

11:50 a.m.

Wolfe doesn’t have much time before his next meeting at noon, but he heads to Schine Student Center to pick up a sandwich. Wolfe said he enjoys walking through Schine because he always runs into people he knows.

‘I like to get out of my office as much as possible,’ he said. ‘It is always a better day when I can get out.’

Once he heads back to his office, he runs into a student he is helping. They discuss the student’s assignment, and he promises to send her an e-mail with more information and his thoughts.

Noon

Wolfe eats his sandwich while in a meeting with a business officer of student affairs. In these weekly meetings, they discuss issues, such as those concerning the budget and human resources.

1:30 p.m.

Wolfe is on a phone call regarding greek life.

With 10 minutes to spare before his next meeting, he sends more e-mails.

2:30 p.m.

Wolfe meets with one of the associate vice presidents of student affairs. They discuss protocols and progress reports.

3:30 p.m.

Wolfe notes all his responsibilities can’t be chronicled in just one day.

‘To really get a flavor of my life, you need to look at it over two weeks,’ he said.

For example, Wolfe has weekly meetings with Student Association President Neal Casey and meets frequently with Chancellor Nancy Cantor and students. He will even travel with the basketball team later this month for the Feb. 26 men’s basketball game at Georgetown University.

Usually, Wolfe works in his office until about 6:30 p.m. At end of the day, he has a period of reflection.

‘I like that quiet moment without any appointments to just think through the day,’ he said.

Wolfe and his wife always have dinner together, so he returns home to spend time with her.

If he has more work to do, he’ll return to the office, grab a tall cup of coffee and play quiet music in the background. It depends on his mood, but he enjoys listening to jazz vocalists and National Public Radio. (He is a self-proclaimed NPR junkie.) Wolfe said he sometimes works until 2 a.m., goes home and then returns the next morning to start another day.

Said Wolfe: ‘Sometimes you have to do that to get caught up.’

cabidwel@syr.edu

Published on February 8, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu