University Times

Pitt has launched a national search for a new School of Social Work dean.

The search committee plans a total of five meetings to hear constituents' recommendations for what to look for in a dean.

Social work faculty members were invited to address the committee on Dec. 6. Three sessions for student groups — bachelor's, master's and doctoral candidates — met with committee members this week. A session for social work staff will be scheduled for later this month, according to search committee chair Robert Pack. Pack is vice provost for academic planning and resources management.

Social work constituents also will have the opportunity to meet with the finalists, who will be invited to campus, Pack said. The committee plans to submit four unranked finalists for the dean's position to Provost James Maher by the end of April. A new dean is expected to be in place by July 1, Pack said. The dean reports directly to the provost.

So far, there have been no surprises at the meetings, Pack said. "I think people are looking for a dean with a vision for social work education, an understanding of the profession and where it needs to move and for someone who understands how to integrate the research, academic and service components of the school," he said.

Applications received by Feb. 9 will be given full consideration. The committee will decide if other candidates will be considered after that date. Candidates must demonstrate a record that warrants a tenured appointment as professor in the school, Pack said.

Ads have been placed in The Chronicle of Higher Education and social work professional journals across the country. In addition, the job description has been sent to all U.S. schools of social work and all member institutions of the Association of American Universities.

The new social work dean will replace David Epperson, dean of the school since 1972, who plans to step down at the end of this academic year.

Under Epperson's leadership, the school was ranked among the top 10 percent of the 140 graduate social work programs in the United States. Eight deans of other U.S. social work schools either are graduates of Pitt's School of Social Work or were members of the Pitt school's teaching faculty.

Founded in 1938, the School of Social Work enrolls about 150 undergraduates and more than 500 graduate students in programs leading to the bachelor of social work, the master of social work and the doctor of philosophy degrees.

The school has 24 tenure and tenure-stream faculty positions and five non-tenure stream faculty positions.

According to the job description, the dean will be responsible for providing academic and administrative leadership, for articulating a compelling vision for social work education and research and for developing and enhancing strong collegial relationships within the school and between the school and practitioners.

The dean also is expected to have a thorough understanding of national trends and issues in social work and social work education, significant administrative experience, a commitment to fund-raising and experience with developing partnerships both internal and external to the University, the job description says.

In addition to Vice Provost Pack, the search committee includes:

Catherine G. Greeno, social work assistant professor; Cynthia Klemanski, social work alumni representative; Wynne S. Korr, social work professor with a joint appointment in women's studies; Lambert Maguire, social work professor; Aaron R. Mann, social work associate professor and director of B.A.S.W. program; George E. McClomb, associate professor and chair, social administration, School of Social Work, with a joint appointment in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs; Spencer L. Middleton, graduate student representative; Edward W. Sites, social work professor; Sarah Schulz, undergraduate student representative; Stephen B. Thomas, Philip Hallen Chair in Community Health and Social Justice (School of Social Work and Graduate School of Public Health), representing affiliated faculty; and Tammie J. Wade, Staff Association Council representative.

Linda Wycoff of the Provost's office is staffing the committee.

— Peter Hart