St. Edward’s University’s complex search for two new deans has been underway for a year now, and while one new hire is in the works, the other search is still in progress.

The university has been searching for new deans for the School of Education and the School of Natural Sciences since Karen Jenlink, former dean of Education, and Charles Bicak, previous dean of the School of Natural Sciences, left for different universities.

The School of Education has found a new dean, but Hilltop Views has agreed not to publish the candidate’s name pending final hiring negotiations.

Meanwhile, the School of Natural Sciences will spend another year searching.

The dean of a school is an important position. A dean has the responsibility of being a leader for faculty and a mentor for students, while collaborating with deans from other schools and St. Edward’s as a whole. He or she also has administrative duties, including grant writing and creating new school programs.

The process of searching for a new dean is complex, formal and nationwide. Kris Sloan, Kristy Ballard, Steven Fletcher, Alfred Estrello and Carol Januszeski, all members of the education faculty, were joined by Fr. Louis Brusatti, dean of Humanities, on the school of education search committee.

According to Judy Leavell, interim dean of the School of Education, the search is a formal and complicated process that involves placing national advertisements, reviewing application materials and then conducting a series of interviews. The final interview is an on-campus visit that takes around two days.

“While all the candidates had much to offer, this candidate [the new dean chosen for the school of education] had the most to offer and has a thorough knowledge of the state and legal requirements affecting teacher education in Texas,” Leavell said. “Our finalist is excellent. He is very experienced in the field and very respected by faculty, administrators and staff at his own campus and in the wider educational community.”

Leavell said the dean will work towards the school of education’s goal of educating quality graduates for the future and for St. Edward’s mission as a whole.

If all goes according to plan, the School of Education’s new dean will assume his position July 1.

“If where they’re [the applicants] coming from finds out they’re applying for a job, it can be very unsettling,” Leavell said. “It’s not final until we have the contract signed, and that hasn’t taken place yet.”

The search for a dean of Natural Sciences this year is closed. The School of Natural Sciences conducted a search similar to that of the School of Education with Bill Quinn, Cynthia Naples, M. Jean McKemie, who are faculty members in Natural Science, Dean of Behavioral and Social Sciences Brenda Vallance, Director of Academic Support and Retention Greg MacConnell and an outside consultant.

“We made a short list of the twenty-something applicants,” said Naples, who is currently the interim dean. “From that we asked three of them to come to campus… to talk to students, deans, Sr. Donna [Jurick], the search committee and the faculty.”

Naples said it is important for the candidates and the school to fit each other well. The school was looking for someone who is a scientist and specializes in a field taught at St. Edward’s. The person needs to have experience with grant writing, funding and professional publication. Someone with experience with liberal arts and administrative experience was preferable, Naples said.

None of the applicants were chosen to be the new dean of Natural Sciences.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” Naples said. “We [the school and university] didn’t fit them [the applicants] and/or they didn’t fit us.”

Until the next dean search in the fall, the faculty manual says that the vice president for Academic Affairs, the executive vice president and provost, the school faculty and the School Administrative Committee will work together to appoint an interim dean.

“We have a strong school, and the faculty are very forward-looking with their undergraduate research and programs,” Naples said. “So far as students are concerned, there are no worries here that we didn’t select a dean for next year.”

The yet-to-be-determined dean will likely see the completion of the second phase of the John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center. The building, which will house the majors of Mathematics, Physics and Computer Science, is currently scheduled for completion in the Fall of 2011.

 

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