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The Indiana Daily Student

student life

Dean of College of Arts and Sciences to step down

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The dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will step down after the 2018-19 school year. 

In a letter addressed to college faculty colleagues, Executive Dean Larry Singell announced earlier this week that it is time for the College of Arts and Sciences to seek new leadership.

“I care deeply about the college and remain dedicated to seeing that the momentum we have created together is sustained through this transition of leadership,” Singell said in the letter. “The timing of my decision allows the institution ample time to search for my successor over the coming academic year.”

Singell has been executive dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for seven years. During his time at IU, he has overseen the creation of the School of Global and International Studies, the Media School and the School of Art, Architecture + Design.

Singell said in his letter that the creation of these schools has allowed IU to give students a traditional liberal arts foundation combined with specialized training. 

The changes that have occurred in the last seven years are extraordinary, Singell told the Indiana Daily Student in an email. He said he is proud of the creation of three schools, new academic degrees and the role faculty have played in the college's Grand Challenges, which address large-scale problems facing society and Emerging Areas of Research, which supports key areas of research at IU. 

"With some of these initiatives fully realized and others well on their way, the college will require fresh perspectives and talents that new leadership will bring," Singell said in the email.

He said today that a liberal arts education is more important in leading a successful and meaningful life than at any point in history.

“It is my firm belief that the liberal arts always should remain the heart of an IU education,” Singell said.

Singell does not yet have plans for after he steps down, he said in the email. He is focused on the goals he hopes to accomplish within the college over the next year. 

Before coming to IU, Singell was the associate dean for social sciences at the University of Oregon. As an economist, Singell’s research focused on the economics of higher education, according to an IU press release from 2011 announcing his appointment at IU. 

In 2015, the College of Arts and Sciences saw a budget shortfall of $4 to $8 million, according to an article from the IndyStar

At the time, Singell said the deficit was a result of fewer students taking general education courses, because they were getting credits from courses they took in high school, and the growth of the Kelley School of Business and the School of Public and Environmental Affairs. 

Singell said the college’s reserves would cover the budget shortfall.

In 2017, after Singell initially announced that the Ph.D. program in theater would be cut because of budget restrictions in the college, it was announced that the program would not accept new applicants for the 2018-19 school year, but would not be eliminated. The program is still being reviewed, and those already in the program will be able to complete the program. 

Singell said no changes in the college since his time at IU have contributed to his decision to step down. 

"I am and remain deeply committed to the College, its faculty, students, staff, and alumni and wish my successor every good wish," Singell said in the email.

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