Haylie Berkland
Contributing Writer
After 30 years of service at North Central, Dr. R. Devadoss Pandian is retiring as the Dean of Faculty and Vice President for Academic Affairs at the end of this year.
With Pandian’s retirement, which he announced on March 6 of 2014, North Central has been holding an extensive, nationwide search for its next Dean of Faculty. Dr. Stephen Caliendo, Political Science Professor and Chairperson for the Division of Human Thought and Behavior, has been leading this search along with a committee of eight other North Central faculty members.
According to Caliendo, the Dean of Faculty has “a tremendous amount of responsibilities,” which include leading the faculty through their day-to-day operations, as well as professional development, curricular revisions and program development.
With the great responsibility that comes with this position, Caliendo and the rest of the search committee have certain attributes and specifications that they are looking for in Dr. Pandian’s successor. Aside from the requirement of having a Doctorate or other terminal degree, Caliendo explains that the committee has two major credentials that they are looking for: a scholarly record and administrative experience. Caliendo is also looking for someone with “a commitment to shared governance,” as well as “a devotion and a strong belief in the tenure system.”
Caliendo explains that the committee wants a Dean who will help in revising the college’s general education curriculum, as well as advancing and improving graduate programs and the potential for online classes to accompany them.
Ultimately, Caliendo says, “We want somebody who isn’t afraid to make a tough decision, but somebody who is collaborative…somebody who is going to listen to a lot of voices.”
When the search for the new Dean of Faculty began, President Hammond hired an external search firm committee, Witt Kieffer, to make contact with people around the country and advertise for the position. The firm then collected all of the applications and sent them to Caliendo and the rest of the search committee to review. In total, the committee received 140 applications, which Caliendo says is more than double the amount that they were expecting. After narrowing this down to 10 applicants around late September, the search committee has now decided upon four finalists, who will each make 48 hour trips to North Central between weeks 8 and 10.
Caliendo explains that, in this final stage of the process, the four finalists will each partake in several small meetings with “all the key constituents,” such as the Division Chairs, the associate academic deans, all those who directly report to the Dean, a few selected students, and, of course, President Hammond. Towards the end of their trips, the finalists will meet with Dean Pandian himself. There will also be a two hour forum for faculty members to ask questions and interact with the finalists.
Catherine Albrecht, Dean of Getty College of Arts and Sciences in Ohio, was the first of these finalists to visit North Central from Nov. 3-4. Charles Taylor, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College at Drury University in Missouri will be the next finalist to visit from Nov. 11-12. The last two finalists, Catharine O’Connell and Abiodun Goke-Pariola, will visit from Nov. 17-18, and Nov. 20-21. O’Connell is the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Student Life, and Dean of the College at Mary Baldwin College in Virginia. Goke-Pariola is the former Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina.
Caliendo says that throughout this process, each of these four finalists have “brought forth a tremendous degree of experience” and diversity that the committee is looking for.
After the last candidate has left at the end of week 10, there will be a 24 hour period in which staff and students can provide online feedback on all of the finalists, which Caliendo, the search committee and President Hammond, will take into account when making their decision.
Caliendo explains that it is important to him and the committee to receive faculty feedback because they want to choose a dean who will fit the needs of everyone. “We need somebody who is going to speak to all of us,” Caliendo says.
Kimberly Sluis, a member of the search committee as well as Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at North Central, says, “We can anticipate that our new Dean will be an accomplished academic who will collaborate with faculty and other administrators to provide leadership and vision for the college.”
In regards to Dean Pandian’s legacy, Caliendo explains that his successor will have much to live up to. “[Dean Pandian] has been at the forefront of increasing academic standards at this college,” Caliendo says. “He’s an advocate for the faculty.” Ultimately, Caliendo says that, “more than anything, he’s been fair.”
In the end, President Hammond, with the help and advice of the search committee, is expected to make the decision on Dean Pandian’s successor in the weeks following the finalist’s visits.
