Dear colleagues,
I hope everyone enjoyed the Memorial Day weekend and you were able to spend time with family and friends, rest up from a busy spring semester or get a jump on summer projects. Even though parts of campus have quieted, many initiatives are in motion and I want to update you on two significant leadership changes.
Graduate School
Janet Haggerty, vice provost for research and dean of the Graduate School, has stepped down from her administrative responsibilities and begins a much-deserved sabbatical on June 1. I have appointed Brenton McLaury, professor of mechanical engineering, to fill both positions on an interim basis.
I greatly appreciate Janet’s years of service. She began at TU in 1982 and was one of the first female faculty hired on what became known as tenure track. In 1990, she was promoted to associate graduate dean and associate director of research. Four years later, she was named dean of research and graduate studies. She had held her latest positions since 2012.
Janet deserves much credit for the university achieving its current Carnegie classification, as she oversaw the growth and launch of several graduate programs. Janet collaborated with advisers and the Graduate Council to continually improve graduate education, which currently has a 92% retention rate. Along with the Research Office and Research Council, she worked diligently to promote faculty and student research. She has been an enthusiastic supporter of our doctoral graduates and founded the Research Colloquium.
We have posted the opening for a vice president of research and will take up the search for a permanent Graduate School dean following the report from the Graduate School task force.
Collins College of Business
In late spring, Larry Wofford informed me that some health considerations necessitated that he cut short his two-year term as dean. Larry led the Collins College of Business successfully through the AACSB accreditation process this past year, and I am deeply grateful for his service. I also appreciate Ralph Jackson, senior associate dean, who is pitching in as interim dean while we conduct a search. As I told the advisory board and several faculty and staff last week, I am incredibly bullish about CCB’s role within the university. I view this moment as a tremendous opportunity to build exponentially upon a track record of success.
On May 9, I emailed the Collins College of Business community, describing the process by which we would choose the next dean. Since then, I have drafted a job description with significant input from staff and faculty leadership within the college, the executive committee of the advisory board, President Clancy and his leadership team. The search committee will receive letters of interest from internal applicants through the end of the month and will then invite viable internal candidates for a full day of interviews with multiple stakeholders. The search committee will forward names of internal finalists to me and President Clancy, and we hope to appoint an acceptable candidate from this pool. If no acceptable candidates emerge, we will open the search to external candidates. I hope that we will conclude the first phase of the dean search by the end of June.
I am grateful for the search committee members’ willingness to serve. Chapman Professor of Computer Information Systems Akilesh Bajaj will chair the search committee. Other members include: Heather Anderson, assistant professor of management; Rick Arrington, CCB assistant dean; Rob Moore, applied assistant professor of energy business; Li Sun, assistant professor of accounting; Mike Troilo, Chapman Professor of International Business and Finance; and Lyn Entzeroth, dean and Dean John Rogers Endowed Chair for the College of Law.
I will keep you apprised as we navigate the search processes. These leadership posts will play a crucial role in securing the future of our university, and I am excited about moving forward expeditiously.
With commitment,
Janet K. Levit
Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs