Committee begins COAS dean search

Administration leaders shared valuable experience about dean selection processes Thursday during a meeting with the committee chosen to review candidates for the position of dean at the College of Arts and Sciences.\nThe group met with President Adam Herbert, IU Chancellor Ken Gros Louis and Interim Provost Michael McRobbie and was given its instructions by the trio.\n"The president spoke at the beginning of the meeting along with (Gros Louis) and (McRobbie) to give us advice based on their past experiences with searches such as these," said junior Elizabeth Henke, student representative to the committee.\nPresident Adam Herbert also spoke of the goals of the committee. It will be responsible for reviewing potential candidates and submitting a panel of finalists before administrators and the board of trustees. \n"The goal is to do an effective search for new dean," said committee member and Psychology professor Linda Smith. "We will consider both internal and external candidates and will ask for nominations of individuals to be considered for the position both from folks within the University and also nationally. \n"The president would like to hire someone to be here by fall 2006."\nThe finalists will be kept confidential, but Henke said she assumes finalists' names might be released once a final list is submitted. \nAlso submitted to the committee was a description of characteristics the group should be searching for in potential candidates, drafted by the current College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy at the request of Gros Louis. Subbaswamy, who was not present at Thursday's meeting, will be leaving July 1 to take the provost position at the University of Kentucky. \nAlthough it was not confirmed if applications have already been received, Henke said that Gros Louis "spoke as if he had already received some," though no list was provided. As the only student representative on the committee, Henke said that among faculty members with an enormous amount of background and talent in the subject, her focus will be on candidates' potential contribution to students. \n"Obviously it is important to get a student's perspective on this issue since it affects them the most in the immediate future," she said. "Not only does the dean impact education and COAS's structure right now, they also have an integral role in planning where the University goes." \nThe committee will meet again Jan. 30 to discuss further plans to begin the applicant review process.