Two familiar faces within the U of C community will now serve students in new capacities.
Linda Choi, formerly an assistant dean of the College, and Meredith Daw, previously associate director for employer relations, were named co-directors of Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS) last month.
Choi and Daw will both also serve as associate deans of students. Choi will oversee the graduate and undergraduate counseling staff, while Daw will work with alumni and employer partners interested in supporting work and educational opportunities for students.
Choi and Daw have taken over the position previously held by Liz Michaels. As director of CAPS, Michaels worked closely with Choi, whose job as assistant dean had focused on students interested in business careers and graduate or professional education.
CAPS revised its directorship to include initiatives that Choi had overseen starting in April 2006, after Michaels announced that she would depart in September. CAPS created the co-directorship in response to the position’s increased responsibilities and the reorganization effort.
The University community has supported the two appointments, said Bill Michel, assistant vice president for student life in the University.
“We have received numerous e-mails from individuals excited about the type of leadership that [Choi and Daw] will provide,” Michel said.
A graduate of the U of C School of Business, Choi spent five years working in financial services for Andersen Consulting, Ameritech, and the First National Bank of Chicago before taking a position as director of the University’s College Programming Office.
Since then, she has served as special assistant to the vice president and dean of students for minority affairs.
Daw, who has worked with the University and CAPS for three years, most recently served as the associate director of recruiting for the College. In addition, she helped redesign the Metcalf Internship application process and assisted in the development of the CAPS student ambassador program, in which students help set up CAPS initiatives.
Among the responsibilities she currently holds, Daw serves as the executive director for the National Internship Consortium. Daw received her Masters degree in higher education management from the University of Pennsylvania.
A dinner is being planned for Choi and Daw to meet with student leaders and discuss their new initiatives. No date has been officially set, but students interested in participating should contact Ann Saporito, project analyst in the Office of the Vice President, at saporito@uchicago.edu.
“We hope that [the dinner] will provide one of many opportunities for Choi and Daw to meet with students…and find out more of what students would like to see from CAPS,” Michel said.