What once was a position for two will soon become a position for one.
The search for a permanent associate dean was announced Thursday by Joe Shields, vice president for Research and Creative Activity and dean of the Graduate College. The college currently has two halftime interim associate deans: Cynthia Anderson and David Koonce.
Shields released the names of the final three candidates for the new position, one of whom is Koonce.
Patrick Barr-Melej, chair of the History Department and Lynn Maurer, associate dean of the graduate school at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, join Koonce as finalists in this selective process, Shields said.
“(We are looking for) experience in graduate education and experience in leadership and supervisory roles,” he said. “The graduate college has a critical role in supporting and advocating for graduate education in the university, and we are looking for a candidate to help support that.”
Each finalist has a designated time to meet with students, and their feedback will be solicited as the college narrows the candidates to one, Shields said.
Barr-Melej said he credits fundamental changes at OU, such as the changing fiscal structure, as well as his desire to enhance the graduate experience for pursuing the position.
“I want (graduate students) to take away that their needs and their ideas are reaching welcoming ears,” he said. “I embrace this as an opportunity to keep working for an institution that I care about.”
Koonce said he has spent the past eight months as interim associate dean attempting to better graduate education, especially in regards to online programs and students whose first language is not English, and he said he hopes to continue that work in a full-time position.
“I look at the tasks and the mission of the Graduate College, and I think they are very worthwhile,” he said. “I see a lot of potential for growth in graduate education at Ohio University.”
Maurer, who was unable to be reached for a comment, oversees close to 2,100 graduate students at SIU and works in the development of a variety of graduate related programs, including graduate student services and policy development, according to her curriculum vitae.
Anderson, who did not apply for the permanent position so she could return to a full-time position in sociology, said she sees the decision to consolidate the position to one appointment as positive.
“The decision that the university has made to commit to a full time associate dean demonstrates the important role the Graduate College has in the university,” she said.
Meetings with the three candidates begin Monday, March 11 and will conclude March 18.
oh271711@ohiou.edu
