As she scrolled through her 70-some emails of the day, ranging from questions about major requirements to dating advice, Dean of Students Cassy Bailey laughed, “Oh that’s not that bad.”

“About one third of my emails are people asking me questions that have no direct correlation of what I do,” Bailey said as she talked about a student who had just emailed her asking how to book a reservation. “There is never a question too small and when I don’t know the answer, I try to connect them to someone who does.”

On top of her large amount of emails, Bailey also gets text messages and phone calls asking questions about a multitude of topics.

Bailey’s job title is Dean of Students, which she says involves advocating for students and to “interpret words of the university in the students’ voice.” Her days consist of going to meetings, teaching classes in the fall and interacting with students, activities that Bailey considers passions, not distractions.

“In my life I think she is also a personal counselor rather than just a professor,” senior Sydney Doster said. “I think Cassy Bailey is a wonderful person and a good strong leader on campus. Most students are comfortable going to her for anything and she is a good asset for Baker in general. She just brightens my day.”

Along with “personal counselor,” students dubbed Bailey “mother at college,” “the holder of knowledge” and “the cool aunt that everyone wants to have.”

“I don’t know what exactly, besides helping students, her job entails,” sophomore Katelyn Morris said. “I just know anyone can go to her with anything and she’s there to help, not because she has to, but because she wants to.”

Bailey came to Baker University in 2007 after she received a call during the summer, saying the position had opened up. Her husband Erik Bailey was a Baker graduate and had family in the area. Erik is now a seventh grade reading teacher at Baldwin High School. When she settled into Baldwin, her first reaction was that she loved the students.

“I didn’t have a good relationship with students in Arkansas,” Bailey said. “Coming back to a school where I could help and make connections with students made sense.”

The process of becoming a dean of students was gradual for Bailey. She started her professional career in 1992 as a graduate assistant. But once she fell into the position, she realized there was no other job she would want.

Her five years at Baker have not only given Bailey a love for her job, but it has also bestowed a love for the town and a “creepy” familiarity with students that Bailey thinks might freak the students out.

“Every once in a while there’s a name and I can’t figure out who they are,” Bailey says. “But for the most part, I know all the students. I really am interested in people and it helps.”

After receiving her doctorate at Baker University, she was frequently asked “What are you doing next?” and “Where to now?” But after spending five years at Baker, she does not see an end in sight.

“Why would I want to go?” Bailey said. “I love my job and the people I work with. I love the students. What is there to change?”