Tom Brown

Tom Brown, a Virginia Tech alum who has worked for the university for nearly three decades, was named the school's new dean of students in late May.

At the time of the April 16 shootings he was senior associate dean of students, and the position he now holds was vacant. Sitting in his office June 21, he talked about the unrelenting pace he and his staff have kept since the shootings, preparations for this fall and challenges he expects to face.

Obviously this whole ordeal was difficult, but what would you say was the toughest part?

Tom Brown: I think the toughest part has been the relentless pace. ... It did not let up and only very recently has that even begun to let up. ... But along with that relentless pace is the desire on the part of so many of us wishing we had more time to do some of these smaller kinds of things. ... The task of responding to and working with families of the deceased students, it's been an amazing experience in so many ways. It's been difficult work for many of us that have been doing that but it's ... really been a powerful kind of experience to know that you could be a bridge between the university and these families.

What do you think your biggest challenge will be this fall?

TB: I think the biggest challenge will be the unanticipated needs. We know that students will need a lot, that's a given. But specifically what they will need and when they will need it and some of the unpredictability there of timing, I think that's going to be a huge challenge. ... But we also have our routine work. So many people in this department and others across campus literally have been doing a couple of jobs for the last couple of months. We've got a challenge there to transition ... and help people get back to the full-time jobs that we have. As a staff we're a strong, experienced group and we've dealt with crisis and difficult things many times here but nothing of this magnitude.

Can you quickly and simply describe the most important role of the dean of students?

TB: To be an advocate for the student. That's really why we're here. Now we have some programmatic responsibilities ... but that's our No. 1 mission, that's what we do no matter what. If a student in crisis walks through that door right now I would stop this interview. If a student in crisis walked in here and I'm supposed to be in a meeting somewhere across campus, I wouldn't show up at that meeting.

Do you have an overall approach, a guiding philosophy, for dealing with students?

TB: I see my role as a listener and an advocate. But very, very quickly behind that, empowering the student to make decisions, to fix the situation or to deal with the crisis at hand. Rarely do I sit and say, "Here, I'll make a call and fix this for you." ... If I can empower you to fix it this time, if it happens again you're good to go.

Everyone on this campus shared this terrible experience as it happened.

You have a new group of freshmen coming. Do you think there will be a generation gap between students who were on campus April 16 and those who weren't Hokies yet?

TB: I've been a part of several groups that have discussed that. And, certainly, I think many of us believe that's a possibility. But, when we think about the students who are coming in who were seniors in high school, no matter where they were they know all about this. Because of the unbelievable media coverage I just have to wonder if there'll really be that disconnect. Because I have to believe they're coming in really informed.

How do you balance this feeling that the university has to move forward with the necessity to never forget what happened?

TB: I think all of us are working that out in two different ways. One, as a community, and clearly we have to get on with the business of the university and honor what happened. But I also think we're wrestling with that individually. And I think it's crucial for us as individuals to allow everyone else around us to move at their own pace. I think we have to practice what we preach. We talk about how families are all at different points in their process and so are all of us. There are countless numbers of victims, if you define victim in a very broad range, and I think we really do have to give each other room to -- quote unquote -- "move on" if and when ready. It's not something I've been ready to really give much thought to yet.