Ohio University has invested almost $180,000 to find replacements for three deans who left last year.
To expedite the replacement process for the deans of OU’s Arts and Sciences, Scripps, and Graduate colleges, Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit hired search firms to assist the faculty committees conducting searches.
It is common to use firms for high-level academic administrative positions, said Ann Fidler, Benoit’s chief of staff, although she did not name the search firms OU is using.
The search firms solicited applications during the summer. The provost’s office hopes to have offers out for the three positions by January, but the timing could change, Fidler said.
“We are on a pretty aggressive timeline to get these searches done,” she said. “I think we are right where we have anticipated.”
The provost’s office is paying $70,370 each for the Scripps and the Arts and Sciences dean searches.
The search for the new Graduate College dean, who also holds the position of vice president for research, has cost $38,650.
The money for all the searches comes from the provost’s office, and expenditures include compensation for professional services, advertising, airport interviews and bringing finalists to campus, Fidler said.
The three positions are currently being held on an interim basis.
Howard Dewald, interim Arts and Sciences dean, replaced Ben Ogles and began working July 1.
Dewald said he believes he is qualified for the position and has filed an application for the permanent job.
“Serving the role of interim dean and having served as one of the associate deans for nine years, I am familiar with the college and continuity of the work taking place,” he said.
Scott Titsworth, the interim dean of the Scripps College of Communication, replaced Greg Shepherd.
Titsworth said he would not apply for the permanent position.
“I have absolutely enjoyed the experience so far,” he said in an email. “Being able to work with the school directors and faculty across the college to do great things for students is exciting every single day.”
Joe Shields, who replaced Rathindra Bose, is serving as the interim Graduate College dean.
The search committee for the Graduate College dean position is reviewing applications and expects to interview candidates this fall, said Craig Cornell, vice provost for enrollment management, who serves as the non-voting staff member on the Graduate College dean search committee.
Shields could not be reached for comment.
Interim employees are filling three additional OU dean positions, but these will not be filled as quickly.
Fidler said a search committee to replace Dan Evans, executive dean of regional higher education, should be formed within a week.
James Fonseca, former OU-Zanesville dean, replaced Evans.
“I thought I could do some good things for the university, having been a campus dean for 13 years at Zanesville,” he said.
Fonseca said he would not apply for the permanent position but rather plans to return to the position of OU-Zanesville’s dean.
Interim OU-Chillicothe Dean Martin Tuck will have an entire year to work with faculty on campus after replacing Donna Burgraff.
“With the upcoming switch to semesters, the provost wanted to wait until the transition to semesters was over to conduct a permanent search,” Tuck said.
Tuck previously held the position of associate provost for academic affairs on the Athens campus.
“There’s a possibility that I would apply for the (OU-Chillicothe dean) position permanently, but I’m not going to make a decision until the end of the academic year,” he said. “If I decide not to apply, I will go back to Athens.”
Tuck retains tenure on the Athens campus and could return as a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
The final interim-dean position is being held by Richard Greenlee, who stepped in as the OU-Zanesville dean when Fonseca left to work as the executive dean for regional higher education.
No search committee has yet been formed for the OU-Zanesville dean position.
Another dean announced this fall that he would be stepping down.
Jack Brose, dean of OU’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, will retire July 1 to take a new position in the provost’s office.
The university plans to form a search committee this academic year and have a permanent replacement in place by July, Fidler said. There are no plans for an interim OU-HCOM dean.
OU President Roderick McDavis said he is not concerned about the turnover in OU’s administration.
“People come and go, but as long as it is for the right reasons I don’t have a problem with it. Our deans left for great opportunities,” he said.
“I would be disappointed if no offers were ever made to our deans, vice presidents or provosts … because what that says to me is, ‘Did we hire the right people?’ ”
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