Who’s who in the Saybrook College Office

At the forefront of Saybrook is the Head of College (HoC). In the role as chief administrative officer,  the HoC sets the college’s intellectual and cultural tone, just as they are responsible for students’ physical safety and well-being. Together with the Associate Head of College,  the HoC oversees and cultivates the college’s social life, hosting study breaks, Saybrook Teas, trips, and other events. The HoC and Associate Head of College live amidst the students in the Saybrook “Biggs House” where many events are coordinated.

The Assistant Director of Operations ensures the smooth functioning of the college. In addition to coordinating its events and maintaining its facilities, the AD oversees the college’s finances, serves as a liaison between the college and the business office, and supervises special projects.

Supporting the Head of College is the senior administrative assistant, who handles the day-to-day business in the Saybrook Office. While coordinating with the staff in staging the college’s events, the senior AA works especially closely with students and the SCC in support of their many activities.

The Saybrook Aides staff the front desk of the Saybrook office and help students and visitors with the million questions they bring to the office. The aides can help with reserving a room, getting keys, signing out a DVD or board game, or registering a party.

Head of College Thomas Near

Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Curator in Vertebrate Zoology at the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Chair of the EEB Department, and Head of Saybrook College, Thomas Near earned a B.S. in biological sciences and a B.A. in history from Northern Illinois University in 1993, a Ph.D. in ecology, ethology, and evolution from the University of Illinois, and a Center for Population Biology postdoctoral fellowship at University of California, Davis. Prior to arriving at Yale in 2006 Prof. Near was an assistant professor at the University of Tennessee. 

At Yale Prof. Near has serves as the Chair of the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and was Editor-In-Chief for the journal Systematic Biology. From his first semester as a member of the Yale faculty, Prof. Near has been a fellow of Saybrook College serving as a first year advisor and since 2015 the Head of College.

Prof. Near’s research uses genomic data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of fishes. Focusing on North American freshwater fishes and a lineage of fishes endemic to Antarctica, his research seeks to understand the mechanisms that generate and maintain biodiversity. An interesting by product of this research is the discovery and description of new species of fishes. As a curator in the Peabody Museum of Natural History, Prof. Near has supervised a dramatic increase in the research collection of fishes, with a large number of important specimens resulting from field work with Yale undergraduates. Prof. Near’s research has resulted in the publication of more than 175 scientific papers. He teaches courses in ichthyology, phylogenetics, and evolutionary biology. You can learn more about Prof. Near’s research at nearlab.org

Prof. Near is from the Northcenter/West Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago and is a rare example of someone who roots for both the Cubs and White Sox. Given that the only time the two teams faced off in the World Series was 1906, he is assured that he will never have to choose the best of his favorites.

Associate Head of College Allison Near

Allison Near earned a B.A. in English and French from Colgate University, and a J.D. from Northeastern University. Allison grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, but she relocated to Connecticut in 2006.  Since landing in New Haven, Allison has worked as a legal aid attorney at New Haven Legal Assistance, Inc. and as an Assistant Federal Public Defender.  Presently, she is a partner at the New Haven law firm of Jacobs & Dow, LLC, where she focuses her practice on criminal defense and general civil litigation. Allison loves to cook, enjoys camping with her family, and has season theater tickets to the Yale Rep.

Allison and Tom live with their two school-aged daughters, Alice and Becca, and their two cats, Basil and Snowball.  The girls can often be seen in the courtyard sharing baked goods, organizing games, or putting on impromptu performances.