Liberal Arts dean search seeking nominations for internal candidates

Provost Sally Mason is working with the search committee to seek nominations from the West Lafayette campus by April 17.

"Based on the extensive feedback and follow-up that the search committee and my office received regarding the three candidates who visited last month, we have agreed that an offer for deanship should not be made at this time," Mason said. "There needs to be a reasonable comfort level within the search committee and within the college's leadership about who is named to this position. We feel that at this time the College of Liberal Arts would benefit from appointing one of its own who is a strong leader and can provide stability during the next three years."

At the end of the three-year period, a new national search for dean will start, Mason said.

Mason said she and search committee members are counting on assistance from Liberal Arts faculty to help identify individuals who can provide such leadership. Nominations can be sent by e-mail to CLADeanSearchCommittee@purdue.edu or to any member of the search committee. Committee members and their contact information is available online.

The search committee, department heads, Mason and President Martin C. Jischke will meet and interview potential candidates. These final candidates also will present at an open forum this spring.

The goal is to announce a new dean by the end of the academic year, Mason said.

Thomas Adler, professor of English, has been serving as interim dean since June 1 when Toby Parcel left the position to become special assistant to the provost. Adler has declined to remain in the position for such an extended period, but will remain until a new dean is selected.

"I am deeply grateful to Tom for his leadership and service to the college this past year," Mason said. "And I also appreciate the highly professional work performed by the search committee, and I look forward to moving ahead in selecting an outstanding individual to lead the College of Liberal Arts."

The College of Liberal Arts is one of the largest at Purdue, with more than 6,100 undergraduate and 1,100 graduate students. The college encompasses 11 academic departments: communication; English; foreign languages and literatures; health and kinesiology; history; philosophy; political science; psychological sciences; sociology and anthropology, speech, language and hearing sciences; and visual and performing arts.

The Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences is ranked nationally for its graduate programs. The Department of Communication also is recognized nationally for its organizational, health and interpersonal areas.

The college is home to 13 interdisciplinary programs: African-American studies, American studies, Asian studies, classical studies, comparative literature, film studies, Italian studies, Jewish studies, linguistics, medieval studies, philosophy and literature, religious studies, and women's studies.

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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