Meet Dianna Graves '98: A VIP for Your Student's Life at CMC!
By Linda Singh P'20
From time to time, we like to interview someone for our newsletter who can directly impact our students’ CMC experience. This time, it’s Dianna (DT) Graves ’98, CMC’s assistant vice president and dean of students. Stealing a bit from the Proust Questionnaire, I asked Dianna a few questions to get to know her.
Linda Singh: What are the main roles of an Assistant VP and Dean of Students?
Dianna Graves: I work with the Vice President for Student Affairs (Sharon Basso) to provide leadership for strategic planning and assessment, student activities and orientation, residential life and housing, academic success and counseling, health and wellness, disability services, community expectations and conduct, diversity and inclusion efforts, and public safety.
LS: Describe a typical day.
DG: One of the things I love the most about this job is that there is no typical day. Every week presents exciting challenges and opportunities to improve the systems and services that support our students. On any day, I might help my amazing team to manage a housing or student activities issue, write a policy proposal, coach students in a crunch, strategize with the Dean of the Faculty on a new initiative, attend a committee meeting, etc. I love going to work!
LS: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
DG: I’m not sure I can pin down a greatest achievement. I get to experience little wins every day in my work, but I am always trying to stay focused on the big picture. It’s rewarding to make a positive difference in any life, but the goal is to identify and solve the most complicated challenges in higher education. I have been working at CMC for almost 20 years. I take stock of my successes in seeing improvements at the College and in the long relationships I’ve sustained with former students over the years.
LS: What does DT stand for?
DG: My maiden name is Turner, and I was once on a team that had four members named “Dianna.” Thus, I became “DT” and it’s the name most people have been calling me since high school.
LS: You earned 11 varsity letters during your time at CMC. Is that a record?
DG: From what I’ve been told, 11 is the record, but it’s hard to know for sure. I think records from the earliest days of the College may reveal others. I was on the volleyball, basketball, and track & field teams here. I didn’t play basketball my freshman year—because I missed my family in Colorado and didn’t want to give up winter break. Otherwise, I could have finished with 12.
LS: Who is your favorite hero in fiction?
DG: I have a special place in my heart for Jo March from Little Women. She’s unwilling to succumb to social norms, is passionate and hard-working. She walks through life with an open mind and vulnerable heart, and she is determined to be great for those who need her most. She is riddled with personal faults and yet is ever willing to claim her faults and try to do better.
LS: How has CMC changed since you were an undergrad?
DG: When I was an undergrad, we had fewer than 1,000 students and the College was just celebrating its 50th anniversary and starting to really build a strong national and international reputation. I have always found our progress to be an amazing story. As we approach our 75th, it makes me excited to know that the College’s trajectory remains steep.
LS: What talent would you most like to have?
DG: I would love to be able to sing!
LS: What characteristics do CMC students possess that are unique to the school?
DG: CMCers are ambitious, but not at the expense of others. They care deeply about making a difference, and they are unafraid to take conscientious risks to move an idea to reality. CMCers work hard and believe in themselves. They have the ability to identify big problems, and the willingness to tackle those problems.
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