Jeffrey Goldstein will step down from his role as the director of health services at Lafayette College at the end of August. His departure from the position was announced last Wednesday on the Bailey Health Center’s Instagram.
“I leave this position with mixed emotions,” said Goldstein, who’s held the job for 24 years.
He described his retirement as an “incremental process,” which started with him taking more time off during the past academic year. For the 2024-2025 academic year, Goldstein will continue working part-time at Bailey Health Center.
“I’ve decided [to stay] for a number of reasons, both to support the college in the transition and also to do what I love to do, which is take care of students,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein cited the expansion of student collaboration and input as some of the work he was most proud of during his time in the role.
“We’re proud of doing more with students, both the students that work here and this sort of general student collaboration,” Goldstein said. “I think over the last two or three years, largely as a result of having really positive relationships with students on campus, I was able to open up that line of communication better.”
Bailey Health Center increasingly adapted to student feedback during Goldstein’s tenure. One initiative, the Peer Health Mentor program, launched this year after feedback from Sophie Himmel ’24, who agreed to comment but did not respond to forwarded questions. The center also began to offer free STI testing in 2023 after collaboration with Lafayette for Reproductive Autonomy, Justice and Empowerment, or L-RAJE.
Physician assistant Jodi Schluter worked closely with Goldstein for 12 years. She said that Goldstein prioritized “teaching [students] how to self-advocate in health care.”
Staff nurse Tricia Shoudt, who worked with Goldstein for 20 years, said that Goldstein has “evolved” how the health center collaborated with students during his time at Lafayette.
“Our job is not only to medically manage the student but to educate them along this process,” Shoudt said. “I think he has aided in that, keeping us up to date with different resources available to increase the educational component.”
Goldstein also praised his collaboration with other Lafayette departments and local healthcare providers. He highlighted working “with the Dean’s Office to everybody in Student Life, making sure that we have an open line of communication.” Goldstein also worked with the college’s counseling center, the sports medicine team and St. Luke’s Hospital to provide accessible mental health services and to better respond to emergencies.
Regarding his replacement, the tentative plan is for Schluter to fill the position of director of health services, according to Goldstein. The next steps are still uncertain.
