This Fall, St. Lawrence is beginning its search for a candidate to fill the position of Vice President of the University and Dean of Academic Affairs. Within the University’s governance structure, this position is one of the highest leadership posts. Not only does the Dean of Academic Affairs serve as the University’s chief academic officer, but the University’s by-laws also state that the Dean shall act as an interim president if the incumbent president were to resign or become disabled. Since 2007, Dean Val Lehr has served as the St. Lawrence Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs. After serving 3 three-year terms, Dean Lehr will be stepping down on July 1, 2016.
The University’s Search Committee is working hard to determine her successor. The Committee is comprised of 17 members: 11 members of the faculty, two administrators, two trustees, and two student representatives. However, this committee serves only in an advisory capacity. Ultimately, the decision of who will be St. Lawrence’s next Dean of Academic Affairs lies with President Fox and the Board of Trustees. This committee is co-chaired by Trustee Barry Phelps and Eve Stoddard, the Dana Professor of Global Studies. Phelps is familiar with the search committee process as he chaired the Presidential Search Committee in 2009 that brought President Fox to St. Lawrence.
“We are trying to make the selection process as open and transparent as possible,” Dr. Stoddard says. This week, the Selection Committee held an open forum for students and staff in order to give the two candidates for Dean the opportunity to introduce themselves to the University community.
Phelps and Stoddard will meet with President Fox in mid-November to convey their opinions on the respective candidates. It is expected that the president will announce the appointment of the new dean in December. Throughout the second semester, the selected candidate will begin to transition into his or her new role by consulting with current Dean Lehr.
Only members of the faculty are eligible to be nominated for the post. “Unlike many other colleges, we have been selecting this position from among members of the full-time tenured faculty since the 1980s,” Dr. Stoddard says. The selection process began in September when the committee solicited nominations from members of the University community. “20 individuals ended up submitting nominations for 11 candidates,” Dr. Stoddard says, “so, there was some overlap when it came to who was nominated.” Of the 11 nominated candidates, only two candidates elected to put their names in the running for the position: Dr. Evelyn Jennings, who currently serves as Associate Dean for Academic Advising, and Dr. Karl Schonberg, who is the University’s Associate Dean of International and Intercultural Studies. Both Schonberg and Jennings have had significant teaching experience, with Schonberg teaching courses in both Government and Global Studies and Jennings leading courses in the History and Caribbean and Latin American Studies Departments.
Excellence in teaching is not the only requirement for this position. Any successful candidate must also be able to handle the administrative duties that the role demands. The Dean also frequently serves as a liaison between the faculty and administration. “My role is to work with the faculty to develop and run the curriculum,” Dean Val Lehr says. “As the Vice President of the University, and as a member of the President’s Senior Staff, I need to think about what we’re doing academically in the context of the University as a whole,” she adds.
“In my personal opinion, [the Dean of Academic Affairs] should have a strong vision of the liberal arts and education and be able to effectively work with people to resolve any potential conflicts that arise,” Dr. Stoddard said in an interview with The Hill News. These sentiments were shared by Dean Lehr, who gave this advice to her potential successors: “The most important thing is to not rush to a decision and to work with the people involved to come to understandings that are as broadly beneficial as possible.”
At Tuesday’s forum, Schonberg and Jennings had the opportunity to introduce themselves to students and faculty members. Both candidates answered numerous questions regarding topics such as the role of technology, sustainability, St. Lawrence’s upcoming capital campaign, and the meaning of a liberal arts education.
Both candidates commented on the importance of strengthening the University’s endowment in order to effectively compete with other small liberal arts colleges. “A lot of the schools we aspire to be like have huge endowments,” Jennings notes. “If we had a stronger endowment we could do more,” she adds. Schonberg also shared similar sentiments and believes that as academic dean he would play an integral part in assuring the success of the campaign.
Another key issue that was discussed is the relationship that the dean has with the student body. “This position should have more visibility with students,” Stoddard said in an interview with The Hill News, “Many students don’t even know who the current dean is or what the dean’s role is within the University.” Schonberg and Jennings both understand the importance of interacting with students as the new dean.
“ I would not like to lose the ability to teach and mentor students,” says Schonberg, who hopes to continue to teach at least one course each semester if awarded the position. Schonberg also expressed his frustration with the isolation of Vilas Hall from the student body. Jennings shared this frustration and suggested that she might offer open office hours throughout the semester, similar to those that President Fox already holds. “There are many ways to work with different configurations of students both in groups and as individuals,” says Jennings, who has previously collaborated with the Advocates and has experience in academically advising students in a one-on-one setting.
Regardless of which candidate is chosen, the new dean will be a trailblazer. Previously the term for Dean of Academic Affairs was three years, however the University has decided to increase the length of a term to four years. Dean Lehr has welcomed this change. “You probably spend the first year figuring out what your role is,” Lehr says “Three years is just too short of a time to adjust to the job.”
Over the next few weeks, students are encouraged to weigh in on the selection process by submitting letters of support for either or both of the candidates via Sakai. Eventually, President Fox will determine who will guide St. Lawrence’s academic affairs for the next four years and beyond, however, the input of students plays a vital role in the ultimate decision process.
Regardless of who the committee recommends and the President selects, it is clear that the either candidate would work tirelessly to transform the University and advance St. Lawrence’s academic caliber.