Last week Interim Dean of the College Peter Patton and President Bennet announced plans for the reorganization of the Dean of the College’s office and the trajectory of the search for a permanent replacement for former Dean Freddye Hill.

In an all-campus e-mail, Bennet wrote that Patton, who has served as Interim Dean since Hill’s resignation on Oct. 22, will continue in his role at least through the spring semester of 2005. The search for a new Dean will be postponed until next fall.

In a separate e-mail, Patton announced the future organization of the Dean’s office, outlining the responsibilities of Dean of Student Services Mike Whaley, Senior Associate Provost and Dean of Continuing Studies Billy Weitzer and Associate Dean of Student Services Rick Culliton, who have been sharing Hill’s previous responsibilities as well as continuing in their own positions.

Although their current roles were only announced last week, functionally and practically there won’t be any change in the organization of the Dean’s office from last semester.

“We were operating in this mode on a trial basis very soon after I got this assignment,” Patton said. “I didn’t want to make any permanent decisions because I wanted to be confident I have the right set up.”

Patton said that the current order is still a temporary structure. While the organization announced this month is effective for this semester, it might be amended again in the fall.

Patton explained that Bennet asked him to remain in his current capacity in mid-December when it became clear that there wasn’t enough time to conduct a thorough search in the spring.

“I would expect that a national search would likely identify a candidate some time in the spring ’05 semester, and would likely have them come some time in July ’05,” Patton said.

When Patton took on the role of Interim Dean he outlined a plan that included familiarizing himself with the office and experimenting with its structures in order to strengthen the institution and understand how it might be reformed.

“Doug’s put me in this job not to tread water, but to move the agenda forward,” he told the WSA last semester.

According to Culliton, discussion of potential changes to the organization of the office and the selection process for the new Dean, continue to be important issues as he, Whaley, Weitzer and Patton meet.

“I think it’s natural at a time of change,” Culliton said.

Patton said that greater diffusion of responsibilities is needed in the office.

“It’s not an attempt to isolate issues, but not every transaction needs to come through me,” Patton said. “If everything has to come up to me it creates a logjam where not much can be done, to be honest.”

In order to partially address this problem, Patton has reduced the number of subordinate reports to the Dean from 13 to three, a move that Weitzer praised.

“I think the Dean of the College has to keep a broad view and with so many direct reports it was impossible to do that,” Weitzer said.

Patton said that he meets with Whaley, Culliton and Weitzer twice a week, but that they otherwise work on separate projects.

“We’re trying to make some of the small scale decisions faster,” he said.

In his memo to the student body, Patton noted that he would be implementing changes in response to the findings of the external reviews of Residential Life Facilities and Health and Behavioral Services, as well as the Task Force on the Honor Code and the Code of Non-Academic Conduct.

According to Patton, Culliton was assigned to oversee the Offices of Health Services and Behavioral Services to enable an appropriate response to the findings of the external review.

Culliton was added later to the team assisting Patton. Former Director of the Office of Affirmative Action Kathryn Friedman was assigned to assist Patton after Hill’s resignation, but Friedman resigned in December to take a position as head of the Office of Equal Oppurtunity and Affirmative Action at the University of Vermont. According to Patton, Culliton was recommended by Friedman to replace her.

Culliton said the transition was not difficult, particularly since he is working with departments and issues that he had handled previously.

“It wasn’t problematic at all – it was very smooth,” he said.

Another key issue Patton identified was greater coordination between the class deans and the Department of Academic Affairs.

Whaley will continue to oversee the Office of Residential Life, the Campus Center, the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development and International Student Services.

Weitzer’s was previously working in academic affairs so his current position overlaps substantially with his permanent responsibilities. Weitzer’s task in the interim is to facilitate communication on the interpretation of policy through academic affairs to the class deans working with the student body. Also, he has been working on coordinating the academic support services that are being provided by a number of departments.