By Courtney Klaus, Editor-In-Chief
Professor of Chemistry David Shubert stepped down from the dean of arts and sciences position on Sept. 1, and a committee is actively searching for his replacement.
The committee is chaired by Dean of Education and Social Work Cameron Carlson, who said the university will likely have the position filled by the spring semester.
The dean of arts and sciences, Carlson said, is essentially responsible for every major except business, nursing, education and social work, each of which have their own deans.
“As the deans we are to carry out the mission of whatever direction we have within our disciplines that supports the mission of the university, “ Carlson said. “So as a result of that, it’s about managing the operations and making sure that we maintain budget and that we set direction for our school and that we meet accreditation standards.”
Shubert said he had a couple reasons for stepping down from the dean position.
One reason, he said, was that he was in the position for a long time, and felt having any one person in an administrative role for such a long time could stifle ideas. He said it felt like “a good time to cycle out.”
Shubert has been teaching at Newman for more than 30 years, and of that, he said, he has been a dean or division chair for about 25 years.
The other reason he stepped down, he said, was that he wanted to focus more on teaching, which he said is the aspect he enjoys most about being a professor.
“The reason I came to Newman was because I wanted to teach,” Shubert said, “Who wouldn’t want to spend more time teaching?”
Carlson said the dean search committee is conducting an internal search and that the application window closed last week. He also said the committee will eventually make a recommendation to Provost Kimberly Long.
In the meantime, Shubert said, his old responsibilities will be divided between Long and Assistant Undergraduate Dean Larry Heck.
“The arts and sciences are a vibrant and high quality program with an administration and staff that are all engaged in student success,” Shubert said. “Whatever the vision of the new dean might be, they have an excellent foundation upon which to build.”
PHOTO: Courtesy Photo. flickr.com
