Hey, whatever happened to "summer slowdown"?Spring semester put to bed, it was time to
turn attention this week to other accumulating concerns - too many to catalog
here, but two in particular occupying center stage in the first week following
commencement:
1.Leadership.I was delighted to wrap up three internal
searches that help prepare us to face the challenges of the new fiscal year that begins July
1.Tim Rehner was the "easy" one, given
that Tim has served well as interim director of social work since I stepped
into the interim dean's spot last May.Steve Cloud, as the unanimous choice of the faculty in speech and
hearing sciences to succeed outgoing chair Brett Kemker, was an uncomplicated
selection as well.More competitive was
the search for a full-time associate dean, but a solid recommendation from a
three-person advisory committee sealed Sue Hubble as the pick there.Best wishes to these dedicated colleagues.
I had hoped to wrap the search for a director of human
performance and recreation too, but as the only external search - iced during
the spring semester "freeze" and later revived - it's taking a little longer.Despite the lateness date, I still
hope for a successful outcome.
2.Development (aka fund-raising).A first priority is building up the dean's
council, a circle of up to 25 external supporters and "partners" of the college.This group serves a number of key functions,
including promoting college programs,
providing resources and access to
resources, and placing (helping to
place) our graduates in career-making positions.Hence we (that is, Meredith Cothern, our
development officer, and I) are on the hunt for persons of "affluence and
influence," both local and beyond, who share the vision and passion of the College
of Health. The search is going well, but
more visits (many more!) lie ahead, as we plan toward a "new" council kickoff
meeting in September.
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