Subbaswamy's departure may hurt research

The loss of College of Arts and Sciences Dean Kumble Subbaswamy may mean more than just a new administrator for IU-Bloomington. Some faculty members say Subbaswamy, known for his aggressive pursuit of research grants, will be hard to replace.\n"The administration will have to work very hard to find someone who can pick up where (Subbaswamy) has left off," said physics professor James Glazier. "(He) has been unusual in that he is perceived by all as completely fair -- who puts the interests of the university above all else."\nGlazier directs the IU biocomplexity institute, which directly benefited from research money Subbaswamy helped to bring in.\n"(Subbaswamy) has raised our scientific profile enormously," he said. "I have no doubt that he has really improved both the funding success in the University, the quality of our faculty and the vitality of our research programs."\nInterim IU-Bloomington Chancellor Ken Gros Louis said a search committee will be formed to find a replacement for Subbaswamy. He added that an interim dean will be appointed if a new one is not found before July 1.\nGros Louis said the college will be able to function without a permanent dean.\n"The last five COAS deans have moved on to higher administrative positions, so this is not unusual. There are always competent people to carry on the important work of the college," he said.\nIU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said IU President Adam Herbert would not comment on the effects of losing Subbaswamy but said Herbert wishes the COAS dean "the best of luck."\nSome faculty members thought Subbaswamy should have been named IUB chancellor last fall.\n"I think he was an absolutely fantastic dean and I'm sorry not to see him as chancellor," said Mark Kaplan, chair of the philosophy department.\nSeveral University sources confirmed to the Indiana Daily Student that Subbaswamy was one of the final three candidates for chancellor in October, but Herbert has never acknowledged the candidacy.\nHerbert's Oct. 31 decision to reject the final three chancellor candidates prompted members of the faculty to gather in several special sessions, and the faculty eventually approved a resolution to the IU board of trustees asking for a special review of Herbert. The resolution cited Herbert's failure to appoint a chancellor search committee for more than two years, and his failure to find a final candidate for IUB chancellor after a 10-month nationwide search.\nAnother COAS administrator, Joseph Steinmetz, will become dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Kansas on July 1.\n-- Senior Writer Adam Aasen contributed to this story.