By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor Millie Gonzalez, dean of the Henry Whittemore Library, will depart FSU to serve as dean of the libraries for the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT). According to Gonzalez, she has worked at FSU for 18 years, serving in multiple positions within the Whittemore Library and as Chief Diversity Officer. She will depart FSU on Feb. 21. As dean of the libraries for the NYIT, she will oversee the five libraries on the NYIT’s Long Island and New York City campuses. “It’s a really exciting opportunity,” she said. “I'm also originally from New York City, so going back to New York City to be closer to my family, that's one of the reasons why it was a great opportunity because it'll hit everything in terms of my personal [life] and also my career.” Gonzalez was selected to serve as interim Whittemore Library dean in 2020 and was appointed dean in 2022. Gonzalez said during her time as dean, she was “very much student-focused, so anything that affects students I take personally.” She added she worked to “make the library offerings really robust despite a constrained budget.” Gonzalez also highlighted the open education resource (OER) project that provides students open access to educational resources for free, including physical textbooks. Gonzalez said the OER project has been a passion of hers for a long time. Prior to serving as the Whittemore Library dean, Gonzalez served as chairperson on the Committee of Diversity and Inclusion (CDI). Gonzalez said the responsibility of the committee was to foster diversity and inclusion across campus. She said the CDI hosted programming throughout the year, including “Latino Americans,” a five-part event series about the 500-year history of Latin America, “Muslims in America,” a panel that introduced the basic beliefs of Islam to attendees, “Night of Latin Dancing,” a dance demonstration and lesson and live music event hosted on campus, and “Latinos in Baseball, in the Barrios and the Big Leagues,” an artifact collection initiative which invited the community to add baseball artifacts to FSU’s digital collection. Gonzalez said the committee made a recommendation to the president to hire a consultant to compile a report about FSU’s diversity and inclusion efforts, and “out of that report, the consultant made the recommendation of having a vice president of diversity and inclusion.” She added, “Without the CDI, I think none of that would have happened.” After the recommendation was approved, Gonzalez served as interim chief diversity officer - a position now held by Jeffery Coleman, vice president of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement. Coleman said, “Dean Gonzalez was part of developing the institutional momentum toward fostering an antiracist campus community. “We have enjoyed a collegial and collaborative relationship since I arrived at FSU,” Coleman added. Coleman said his division collaborated with Gonzalez on the installation of the Native American Land Acknowledgement Mural located in the Whittemore Library. He said Gonzalez is “resourceful and passionate about open educational resources as a tool for broadening access to course materials for students.” Gonzalez began her career at FSU as a part-time reference and e-resource librarian. Her first office in the library now serves as the quiet study room on the first floor of the Whittemore library. After that, Gonzalez served as the digital services and emerging technologies librarian. Gonzalez has a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from Hamilton College and two master's degrees, including a master’s of library science from Simmons University. President Nancy Niemi said Gonzalez is “absolutely committed to the work of making education, through the work of the library, a tool for more equity. She lives the ethos of FSU, and I've watched her do that.” Niemi highlighted the open education resources initiative “spearheaded” by Gonzalez and Gonzalez’s work as the “architect” behind bringing the Smithsonian Holocaust Exhibition to the Whittemore Library. Niemi said, “I think it's important to acknowledge that she really has a wide understanding of what Framingham State has committed to and become. … So she's got a lot of history here that she understands well, and I know we'll miss her. She’s a piece of our history that we cannot replace.” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kristen Porter-Utley said, “Dean Gonzalez has been a valued and wonderful colleague since I became the Provost at FSU two-and-a-half years ago. We will miss her but are so very happy for her.” Porter-Utley said Gonzalez serves on FSU’s Deans Council and the Provost’s Council. As a member, she “helps us brainstorm ideas and develop and implement projects that advance the success of our students, faculty, and staff. So, she is a valued colleague in all the work we do in Academic Affairs. “The outcomes of any one of many projects we have taken on are better because she has offered her expertise and experience and helped inform what we are doing to achieve our institutional mission and implement our new strategic plan,” Porter-Utley said. Lisa Eck, English department chair, said she has always “had a warm, collaborative relationship with Millie because we both care deeply about campus culture, namely coming together in spaces outside the classroom where a real sense of community can take place. “We worked on a dozen or more projects during the eight years I ran the Arts & Ideas series. Millie's enthusiasm for bringing guest authors to campus, hosting traveling art exhibits, and reminding us all what a resource the library can be for our shared intellectual life as students, faculty, and members of the community made her a muse for many of us aspiring to connect across disciplines and venture out across the quad!” Eck said, “I get the sense that Millie is never bored! She finds interest in everything, and her enthusiasm across the disciplines has been a boon to the campus. Maybe all librarians are this curious, but she's exemplary in this way.” She said she hopes to see Gonzalez’s successor “continue her focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion. I hope her successor will be willing to supervise ambitious internships for English and other humanities majors aspiring to careers in library science and information technologies, just as Millie has done. These internships change students' lives.” Desmond McCarthy, professor of English, said, “In each position she has held throughout her 18 years at FSU, Millie’s focus on student success has made her a role model for all of us. “She’s done so much to make the library a fun and inviting place to be, from the plants and artwork to the comfy chairs and quiet study rooms. The building reflects her warm personality, and the library’s innovative research tools and resources as well as the many beautiful, inspiring programs and exhibits are a testament to her brilliant leadership.” [ Editor’s Note: Desmond McCarthy is the advisor of The Gatepost. ]