Committee reviews applications for new Office of Women’s Affairs dean

All the applications are in, and the office of Women’s Affairs is looking for a new dean.\nThe search began last June when former dean Terry Dworkin retired from IU after 27 years. The committee’s goal is to have someone in place by July 1, said Julia Lamber, chair of the Dean for Women’s Affairs Search Committee. \nAccording to a job announcement sent by Lamber, the Office of Women’s Affairs monitors and assesses the status of women on campus and promotes policies to improve and strengthen the standing of women at IU. \nThe search committee consists of seven professors from all different schools on the IU campus, an undergraduate student from the Kelley School of Business and a graduate student in the School of Law, according to the job announcement. \nThe committee is beginning to look at applicants after conducting an internal search for candidates. \nLamber said she found the application turnout impressive. \n“We are very pleased with the candidate pool,” she said.\nAlong with being dean, Dworkin was also a professor in the Business Law Department in the School of Business. The search committee came together with certain criteria in mind, one of which requires each applicant to hold another position on the Bloomington campus, Lamber said. \nAstronomy department chair Catherine Pilachowski is filling in as the interim dean for the Office of Women’s Affairs until the committee has been chosen, said Linda McCammon, director of administration of the Office of Women’s Affairs. When Pilachowski is not performing her duties as interim dean, she is also an astronomy professor.\nThe job outline for the new dean will include directing the office and setting its agenda. The dean will also head an advocacy office, Lamber said, where the main focus is to improve education and professional opportunities for women. \nNo prior training is required, but each new dean must learn on the job. Because of this, the committee is searching for someone who is already familiar with the University.\nThe office itself already has two professional staff members, Lamber said. Both members have a fair amount of institutional knowledge and will be able to assist any additions to the faculty. She said \nthe dean is also equipped with advisory committees. \nThe committee is searching for someone with a diverse interest and the ability to find solutions, Lamber said. The candidate must be ready for a people-oriented kind of job. \n“They must be able to get people to agree to work together on different things at different times,” she said.