CAS seeks permanent Dean
After two years with temporary leadership, the search for the new Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has lifted off. Jeanne Brady, Ph.D., provost, at Saint Joseph’s University announced to all faculty that a selection committee has been formed and preliminary interviews have been scheduled for the coming weeks.
Brady announced in an email that the search had begun on April 11.
“They are all experienced academics who have gained tenure and risen to the rank of professor,” Brady said in an email to faculty. “They possess both depth and breadth in their respective levels of administrative experience and represent a diverse cross section of the population. They evince strong appreciation for our Jesuit mission, as well as for the distinctive character of Saint Joseph’s University.”
Richard Warren, Ph.D., holds the current position and has been filling in as a temporary role.
Five students were chosen to be part of the process of selecting the new Dean. Erica McDonald, ’17, was one of them.
McDonald worked with Monica Nixon, Ph.D., assistant provost for inclusion and diversity in her capacity as an RA and was thus chosen to be included in the selection.
“I think the most important component to being a Dean is evaluating student, staff and faculty’s needs and attempting to bring new, innovative ideas to the campus to alleviate those needs,” McDonald said. “This requires the Dean to become involved with the entire Saint Joseph’s community and critically evaluating what aspects could be improved upon.”
The selection process has been largely confidential in an effort to maintain the privacy of candidates, according to Brady.
“For me, I would love to see the candidates have a dedication to diversifying both the student body as well as the faculty we have in classrooms,” McDonald said. “This campus is largely underrepresented in its minority populations and it is so essential for minority students to see themselves represented in the student body population as well as the classroom. Having new and effective ideas for how to accomplish this is definitely something that I value and would love to see in the new Dean.”
A final selection for the new Dean is set to be made sometime in May.
