A time for change
As many of you may have heard by now I am stepping back into the faculty as of June 30, 2008. I will have a fall semester sabbatical and then return as a full-time faculty member in January. I have continued to teach one class during my time as dean and must admit that it has frequently been the sanest part of my job. I am really excited about the change. Academics positions have many benefits and the options of returning to the faculty is one of them.
I thought I would explain the search for a new dean and tell you how that process will proceed. However, what are the duties of the dean? Actually the duties of the dean vary somewhat from school to school. Currently the School of Education and the School of Business Administration do not have separate departments. On the other hand both the School of Science and Mathematics and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences have five departments and the School of Engineering has two departments. These differences explain part of the differences in duties but the similarities are greater than the differences. All of the deans are in a 12-month administrative position and report directly to the Provost. According to the faculty manual each dean assumes responsibilities in the areas of program development and assessment, external fund raising, personnel actions, student recruitment, and budget/resource management. The dean ensures that the policies of the school are followed and represents the school within the College and in external matters. The dean also supervises the department heads in those schools with department heads.
One of the duties which is specific to the schools with department heads has been building a sense of "being a school." Each of the departments has had its own identity for years prior to the establishment of schools. As a result they did not think of themselves as a team or a school. I think this process of team building has been one of the most interesting parts of the job for me but also one that has required considerable attention. I think this has been more of an issue in SHSS than in other schools.
Now, how will a new dean be recruited? A search committee has been appointed by the Provost. Each department in the school submitted the name of someone to serve on the committee - three department heads are serving and two have a faculty member serving. The Provost appointed the Dean of the School of Science and Mathematics to serve as chair - mainly because of his interest in the core curriculum which our school shares with them. One member of the School of Humanities and Social Science Board was elected by the board, one member of the staff, and a secretary for the committee were appointed by the Provost. The following are members of the committee:
Chuck Groetsch (Chair), Dean of School of Science and Mathematics
Carla DeMille (Secretary)
Conway Saylor, Psychology
Gardel Feurtado, Political Science and Criminal Justice
Jim Leonard, English
Katherine Grenier, History
Mark Del Mastro, Modern Languages
Sylvia Nesmith, Register
Terry Ahearn, School of Humanities and Social Sciences Board Member
An advertisement was placed in the "Chronicle of Higher Education" which is the major publication for such advertisements. Having a doctorate in one of the areas as well as academic and administrative experiences are major requirements of the job. It is anticipated that the committee will interview candidates during the beginning of spring semester and that an offer can be extended in the early spring.
During the interview process the candidates will meet with the search committee, the deans, the provost, other members of the administration, the foundation, and various student groups. Ratings will be obtained from all groups and all the data will be used to reach a decision. The committee will make the recommendation to the Provost.
Let's all hope it goes well.
