LEWISTON – A month after taking over as head of L-A College, Zark VanZandt’s office walls are still white and bare. Except for a few scattered books and papers, his desk and small round conference table are nearly empty.
But in the middle of the new office space, there is one bright yellow box covered in a collage of grinning baby pictures, Snoopy cartoons and cut-out magazine words, such as “chocolate” and “smile.”
It is one of the few personal possessions VanZandt has so far moved in.
Said the jovial 56-year-old former school counselor, “It’s my personality coming through.”
Opportunities and challenges
Although VanZandt’s mother never went to college and his father had only an eighth-grade education, his parents always encouraged him to go to college. VanZandt worked three jobs to put himself through Michigan State University’s education program.
It was a college classmate who gave VanZandt the Russian nickname “Zark.” Friends thought it matched his lively personality. The name stuck so firmly that VanZandt stopped revealing his given first name.
“I seem more like a Zark than my real name,” he said.
An animated man with a flair for the dramatic, VanZandt found himself drawn to the energetic, fidgety kids during his student teaching days.
Their behavior irritated everybody else, he said. “I found them to be cute.”
He also found a knack for counseling. Students who were struggling in school went to “Mr. Van” for help. They wanted to talk about their lives and VanZandt was good at listening.
He became a public school guidance counselor. After that, he never really considered anything else.
But the opportunities seemed to come. And while he loved working with kids, each opportunity brought challenges he couldn’t refuse.
State guidance consultant in New Hampshire. Professor, department chair and associate dean in the University of Southern Maine’s college of education and human development.
Last year, USM’s provost asked VanZandt to become interim director of USM libraries.
“I just went ‘what?’ It just hit me. I didn’t know anything about libraries except signing out a book. And sometimes I needed help with that,” VanZandt said. “It was a learning opportunity for me.”
And then came another “learning opportunity:” the chance to lead L-A College.
VanZandt had always loved the small USM college in Lewiston, with its dedicated staff and eager students. There was, he said, “something special about the place.”
But replacing outgoing Dean Betty Robinson would mean leaving his beloved classroom almost entirely.
“I really had to think about how much of myself I was giving up,” he said
This spring, VanZandt decided this challenge, like all the others, was worth it. He started July 1.
Recognition
As dean of the 1,150-student college, VanZandt will oversee academic programs, facilities, faculty and staff. He will also teach one course a year, though it may not be in school counseling.
VanZandt has no grand plans for the school during his first year. He only wants to get to know the school, its needs and the goals of staff and students.
After that, he hopes somehow to get L-A College the recognition it deserves for its interdisciplinary majors, top-notch faculty and passionate students.
“It’s the best kept secret,” he said.
He also wants to help the college grow- but carefully, he said, so the school doesn’t lose the inviting, close-knit environment that has defined it for so many years.
Until then, the personable grandfather-to-be is rarely without a smile. He has hundreds of students, dozens of staff members and a whole new campus to get to know.
He is enjoying himself.
“It’s a good fit,” VanZandt said. “There are many things that you know if your gut ‘this feels right.’ This is one of them.”
ltice@sunjournal.com
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