Senior Associate Dean of Students Carl Steidel announced today that Douglass Morency, safety & security specialist at the Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, will become director of security and campus safety at Bates effective Nov. 15.

“We are thrilled to welcome Doug to the Bates community,” said Steidel. “He is an experienced security professional and a leader with a demonstrated track record of building relationships with community stakeholders. Doug’s background and philosophy are tailored to our needs at Bates and I know he will make a positive impact on our campus community.”

“I am eager to get on campus as soon as I can and look forward to working closely with students, faculty, and staff to deepen the connection between Security and the campus community,” said Morency.

“As a national leader in the liberal arts, Bates is a wonderful institution and such a welcoming environment. Partnering with our entire community, I plan to build on recent efforts and successes to ensure that our Security team is viewed as a supportive resource across campus and the Lewiston/Auburn community.”

Reporting to Senior Associate Dean of Students Carl Steidel, Morency will be responsible for the overall protection and safety of students, faculty, staff, and visitors at Bates and for the security of all college facilities and properties.

“Doug comes to Bates at a time when considerable efforts are underway to strengthen the Department of Security and Campus Safety,” said Steidel. “Over the past several months, a working group of students, faculty, and staff have convened to address concerns and requests raised by members of our campus community. Doug will be instrumental in leading these important initiatives to enhance Security’s services and to establish more effective relationships between the department and the campus community.”

For the past two years, Morency has led campus safety at Robert E. Lee High School in Fairfax, Virginia, a public school with 2,000 students and 235 faculty and staff. Serving as a member of the school’s administrative team, he supervised a full-time security team; conducted all school investigations; planned emergency management procedures and drills; and served as the primary liaison between security services and members of the school community.

Before his position in the Fairfax County Public Schools, Morency was director of security and risk management at Flint Hill School in Oakton, Virginia. Morency began his career in law enforcement, serving as a police officer in Fairfax, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Winchester, Virginia. He is a graduate of Howard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice with a minor in French. He also received his state law enforcement certification at the Rappahannock Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Morency’s appointment at Bates follows a national search overseen by a committee comprising students, faculty, and staff. The committee noted that Morency rose to the top of a large applicant pool due to the combination of his technical expertise and his demonstrated ability to develop meaningful relationships with all campus constituencies.

“Many thanks to Gwen Lexow, director of title IX and civil rights compliance, for chairing the search committee, to the members of the committee, and to all who participated in the interview process. We appreciate the time and energy of everyone who helped us to bring Doug to Bates,” said Steidel.

Morency succeeds Paul Menice, who has served as interim director of security and campus safety for the past nine months.

“Paul has done an incredible job as interim director of security and campus safety during this time of transition. He will continue to play a vital role as a leader in the department following Doug’s arrival in November,” Steidel shared.