Andrea Goldblum joins Kenyon April 8 as civil rights coordinator, taking on oversight of federal and state laws that protect the rights of College students and employees.
Goldblum of Worthington, Ohio, is the manager for regulatory compliance at Margolis Healy, an education consulting firm based in Burlington, Vermont, that specializes in safety and regulatory compliance.
“Andrea Goldblum fills a vital role at Kenyon, and I’m confident that her experience, insight and dedication to fairness and equity in education will serve us well,” President Sean Decatur said. “She is an expert in institutional compliance with federal laws that govern the protection of our community against bias, harassment and sexual misconduct.”
Before joining Margolis Healy in 2014, Goldblum was the compliance director and Title IX and Clery Act coordinator at the Ohio State University (OSU). The federal Clery Act, enacted in 1999, requires colleges and universities that accept federal financial aid to file annual reports of crime on and near campuses. Title IX was enacted in 1972 to prevent sex discrimination in education. In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education informed colleges that, under the law, they must prevent and respond to sexual misconduct.
“Some of the stigma has been taken away, so that more people report sexual misconduct, and then if it has not been handled as it should be handled, they feel more empowered to go to higher authorities, including to the federal government,” Goldblum said. “I think this really started with the change in perceptions about sexual violence on campuses.
“We have to keep people safe. We have to keep them safe so they can learn,” she said.
Campus-wide training on sexual misconduct, harassment and civil rights is essential, she said. “In order for a school to respond appropriately to both the complainant and the respondent, people in the community need to understand the dynamics of sexual violence and need to understand the processes in place.”
Goldblum was director of the Office of Student Conduct at OSU for more than seven years before taking on the role of compliance director there. She is a former assistant dean of students and director of the Office of Student Integrity at the Georgia Institute of Technology. She also worked as the assistant dean of students and director of student life at Roger Williams University and as director of the Office of Judicial Affairs at the University of Colorado.
Her interest in student affairs started when she was an undergraduate at the University of Miami, where she was active on campus and was a student leader. “I had interactions with the dean’s office, and I really enjoyed that,” she said. “I had mentors and advisers and people I worked with in student affairs, and they really helped me be successful.”
Her career in student conduct is tied to her interest in justice. She helped create the Restorative Justice program at the University of Colorado. “It’s something that I’ve always been passionate about, a sense of justice,” she said.
Goldblum is “very excited” to join Kenyon and has been impressed by the sense of community she has experienced and the College’s commitment to civil rights protection.
She earned a bachelor’s in education at the University of Miami in 1986 and a master’s in higher education at the University of Michigan in 1989. She is pursuing a master’s in the study of law at OSU.
Goldblum replaces Linda Smolak, professor emerita of psychology, who was named interim Title IX coordinator in October. Smolak stepped in for Mariam El-Shamaa, former director of equal opportunity, who took on the responsibility for Title IX compliance during the 2011-12 school year.
The civil rights coordinator reports to Chief of Staff Susan Morse. Goldblum is responsible for monitoring and coordinating compliance with nondiscrimination laws and for investigating complaints alleging discrimination on the basis of sex, creed, ethnic heritage, color, military status or veteran status, gender expression or identity and disability.