Earlier this month, President Doug Bennet announced in an e-mail to the Wesleyan community that the University had begun a national search for the next Dean of the College.
Since Freddye Hill’s resignation last October, Peter Patton, Vice-President of the University, has occupied this position.
In his e-mail, President Bennet highlighted the importance of the position of Dean of the College. He also announced the formation of a search committee, its members and encouraged that any nominations be forwarded to him.
“The Dean of the College is at the nexus of all activities on campus,” Patton said. These include graduate requirements, course load, keeping students on pace and serve in a regulatory wing between the faculty and students.“
The next Dean of the College will oversee the three main areas of student life: Academic Support Services, Student Affairs and Student Activities. In this capacity the new dean will work directly with the Class Deans, Residential Life, Student and Behavioral Health, Student Activities, Community Service, the Chaplains and the new University Center, according to the Office of the Dean of the College website
”The selection of a dean is key because that individual will have a large impact on some of the most important student issues. For example, issues of gender neutral housing,“ said Zach Kolodin ’07, one of the students on the selection committee.
Since Hill left, the Dean’s Office has undergone some major restructuring. This is partially responsible for the delay in the search to full the position, according to Patton.
”The position has become more manageable; they will not be consumed minute by minute but will still be a point of appeal,“ Patton said.
Prior to the changes, communication problems had impacted morale. To combat these difficulties, the deans have received additional responsibility in making independent decisions, two additional deans have been hired, and there have been more meetings between the existing staff.
According to Patton, this will hopefully make it easier for students to get the help they need from one office.
Now that the restructuring is complete and has been in place for eighteen months, the search for a Dean of the College can begin, Patton explained.
The search committee comprises 11 members of the Wesleyan community, including students, faculty and staff.
The selection of committee members was a joint effort by President Bennet and Dean Patton to get a variety of people holding leadership positions. President Bennet made the final decision on committee members and personally invited each to join.
”I was really pleased to see that the committee is comprised of such a diverse sample of the Wesleyan community: students, faculty, a coach, admissions and the administration,“ said Carolyn Sorkin, Director of the Office of International Studies, who is on the commitee.
Another committee member, Ann Goodwin, Assistant Vice President of the University, also said she was delighted to be involved in the decision-making process.
”I am a ’79 Wesleyan graduate myself, I returned to Wesleyan in ’95 to work, and I welcome the opportunity to help identify the next dean,“ she said. ”Peter Patton has done an outstanding job as interim dean, and has paved the way for his successor to be a very effective member of the Wesleyan community.“
Since President Bennet’s email the search committee has met once to become acquainted, establish a time-line, define committee priorities and discuss how best to keep the community involved.
”It’s important to get in touch with the community and get people as involved as possible,“ said committee member Samira Abdul-Karim ’07.
According to Kolodin, the meeting ended with a clear set of objectives.
”We’ve determined what we’re looking for in a dean and we’re aggressively pursuing those traits,“ Kolodin said.
With the search committee now in place, an advertisment is already circulating in some academic chronicles. The committee is hoping to start reviewing applications by November, conduct interviews in January and have President Bennet make the final decision and announcement around Spring Break. The new Dean of the College will start on July 1, 2005, according to Patton
Sage Consulting, a consulting firm hired by the University to run the search, will be working with the search committee to narrow down the pool of applicants and select only the most qualified. The search will not only include those who apply directly but will also actively pursue candidates they feel meet the qualifications.
To this end, much of the selection process will be highly confidential because the committee does not want to jeopardize the jobs of people applying, according to Carolyn Sorkin, Director of the Office of International Studies.
”It’s a delicate process,“ Patton said.
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