Gateway Community College (GCC) is pleased to announce Alese Mulvihill of Beacon Falls as the new Interim Dean of Student Affairs.  

Mulvihill assumed the new role on April 26, filling the vacancy left by Wilson Luna, who retired in February after a 34-year career in the state’s higher education system. She was previously the Associate Dean of Student Success at Housatonic Community College (HCC) before accepting the position at GCC. Over the years, Mulvihill has been active in New Haven Public Schools; in 2014 she was honored as a T.A.P.S. Award recipient for Distinguished School Service to New Haven Public Schools.

In the position of Interim Dean of Student Affairs, Mulvihill oversees Enrollment Management, the Center for Educational Services, and Student Engagement and Career Services. She brings a wealth of experience in higher education, having worked in the areas of residential life, student services, advising, student activities, and first year programs. 

The grant writing team chair for HCC, she helped secure a five-year, $1.3 million federal grant through the Title III Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) to improve student success and retention programs. Funding through SIP helped to expand capacity to serve students, improving and strengthening the academic and institutional effectiveness at HCC. The U.S. Department of Education awards Title III grants to institutions of higher education where at least 50 percent of the students receive need-based assistance or grants. 

At HCC, she oversaw advising, counseling, transfer programs, and student support initiatives including the Family Economic Security Program (FESP), SNAP, and the PASS program. In addition, she works with non-profit agencies and has been instrumental in raising signigicant funding in federal, state and private grants for student support services.

Mulvihill’s work with FESP was recognized by the distinguished Bellwether College Consortium as a finalist for the 2018 Bellwether prize. A graduate of Naugatuck Valley Community College, she holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Southern Connecticut State University and a Master of Science degree in Counseling with a concentration in Higher Education and Student Development from Central Connecticut State University.