1 interview left to conduct in social work dean search

Written by Shambhu Sharan, Contributor to The Shorthorn   

Monday, 20 April 2009 08:47 PM

The School of Social Work dean search committee has one more interview left before it submits three candidate recommendations to the provost and president.

The committee — consisting of School of Nursing Dean Elizabeth Poster, social work professors, an alumna and a student — plans to submit the recommendations by June. The committee is still in the process of interviewing two candidates and would not release their names.

Santos Hernandez stepped down as dean last August, and the search began in late January. Interim Dean Philip Popple is managing the position until the committee finds a permanent replacement.

“The process itself is not difficult,” Poster said. “There is an established process that involves everyone in the School of Social Work [faculty, staff, students and alumni] as well as members of the campus community.”

The process ensures that the best candidates have the opportunity to interview and that the dean is a good match for the needs of the school and university now and in the future, Poster said. Selecting a dean for any college or school is important, she said, because of the vital leadership role internally and externally that the dean holds.

Social work professor Vijayan Pillai said that while searching for a dean itself isn’t difficult, the planning and interviews take a while.

Pillai said Popple has been working since September 2008 and that the previous dean stepped down because he held the position for ten years.

The provost and the president will make the final decision after getting feedback and recommendations from the committee. The committee plans to interview the final candidate in an open forum the first week of May.