Sociology Professor Angela O'Rand will lead a committee tasked with conducting a national search for a new dean of Trinity College of Arts and Sciences, Provost Sally Kornbluth announced this week. The 18-member committee is comprised of faculty, administrators, a student representative, and an alumnus who formerly chaired the Trinity Board of Visitors.
Laurie Patton, the current Trinity College dean, will leave Duke at the end of the semester to become president of Middlebury College beginning July 1.
Kornbluth said the committee is to present a list of finalists by May for Kornbluth and President Richard Brodhead to recommend a final choice to the Board of Trustees for approval.
In addition to O'Rand, the other committee members are:
Patrick Bayer, economics; Sara Beale, law; Beth Holmgren, Slavic and Eurasian studies; Andrew Janiak, philosophy; Paula McClain, dean of the Graduate School; David Morgan, religious studies;
Mohamed Noor, biology; Candice Odgers, public policy and psychology and neuroscience; Arlie Petters, mathematics, physics and business administration; Susan Roth, vice provost for interdisciplinary studies; Charmaine Royal, African and African American studies;
Guillermo Sapiro, electrical and computer engineering; James Schiff, alumnus and former chair of Trinity Board of Visitors; Lavanya Sunder, president of Duke Student Government; and Raphael Valdivia, vice dean for basic research, School of Medicine.
Ben Reese, vice president of institutional equity, and Richard Riddell, vice president and university secretary, will serve as ex officio members.
Kornbluth charged the committee with finding a candidate who is:
- an intellectual leader among the faculty, who can be expected to have the highest aspirations in faculty hiring and retention,
- an energetic and conscientious administrator broadly familiar with issues in higher education,
- a strong advocate for Arts & Sciences and its core teaching and research mission in the context of the university's strategic commitment to interdisciplinarity, internationalization and knowledge in service to society
- a strong proponent for a diverse faculty and student body,
- an effective fund-raiser,
- and a preeminent university citizen.
The committee, which will be assisted by Isaacson Miller, a national executive search firm, is soliciting opinions, nominations and applications from members of the Duke community.
All inquiries, nominations, and applications will be kept in confidence. Additional information about the search, including the procedure for submitting nominations and applications, can be found at http://www.imsearch.com/5323. Electronic submission of materials is encouraged, but mail may be sent to Jane Gruenebaum of Isaacson Miller at 1300 19th Street, NW Suite 700, Washington, DC, 20036.