New Freshman Development and Special Student Services Director Named

Sean Weaver has been named director of the Office of Freshman Development and Special Student Services, effective July 2. His primary responsibility will be to help freshmen and their families’ transition to life at Duquesne in his role overseeing support activities and programs, such as Orientation.

Weaver, who currently serves as assistant dean and director of student agencies at Princeton University, has more than 15 years of experience in higher education, primarily with student work, at Thomas Jefferson University, Catholic University, the University of Chicago and Georgetown University.

“I am very enthusiastic and very excited to get started at Duquesne,” said Weaver.

“I have worked on orientation programs similar to Duquesne’s student-led one in the past, but this will be my first time overseeing the program. I am looking forward to working with this current group of student orientation leaders to help make the incoming freshmen and their parents quickly adapt and feel at home.”

At Princeton, Weaver’s main responsibility was to oversee all programmatic and budgetary aspects of student agencies—an ambitious, 100-year-old program that features 18 student-run businesses from laundry service to water cooler delivery to publishing the campus Facebook page and yearbook. The for-profit program, not funded by the university, annually generates $1 million in revenue and provides 900 goods and services to 14,000 customers. Managers of these businesses are current students who work on 100 percent commission.

“I have been really fortunate to be in a field that I enjoy, where I love coming to work every day and working with students who have a myriad of talents,” explained Weaver.

“You advise them the best you can based on your experience. They may or may not make the right decision, but you help them with that as well because these are all educational moments. You can always use the things that turn out well and the things that don’t turn out so well to contribute to their educational experience.”

A native of Somerset, Pa., Weaver is familiar with Pittsburgh and said he always heard great things about Duquesne and used to go see the Tamburitzans perform when they came to his hometown.