Skip to Navigation
University of Pittsburgh
Print This Page Print this pages

March 2, 2000

3 administrative searches reach semi-finalist stage

Searches for five upper- level administrators at Pitt are progressing.

Pitt is seeking a dean of the School of Education, a vice provost and dean of students, and a director of the University Center for International Studies (UCIS). Those three positions are expected to be filled by July 1.

The University also is hiring new deans for the School of Dental Medicine and the Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), which are expected to be filled by Sept. 1.

Dean School of Education Robert Pack, vice provost for Academic Planning and Resources Management, said the education dean search committee had identified seven semi-finalists. "The last candidate will be visiting on March 23 and 24," said Pack, who chairs the committee. "The committee will meet and within a week or so after that, we will give our unranked short list to the provost."

Pack said the search committee will make a presentation to the provost, reviewing the strengths of the finalists.

Semi-finalists include two internal candidates: — Alan Lesgold, professor of psychology and executive associate director, Learning Research and Development Center, and — Naomi Zigmond, professor of education and chair, Department of Instruction and Learning.

Other candidates include:

— Dennis Hinkle, dean, College of Education, Towson University; — Pamela Trotman Reid, professor of education and psychology and research scientist, University of Michigan; — Dale Schunk, professor and head, Department of Educational Studies, School of Education, Purdue University; — Les Sternberg, dean, College of Education and Human Development, Bowling Green State University, and — Carlos Torres, professor, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California at Los Angeles.

Lesgold, Schunk and Zigmond have made presentations. Torres is scheduled to visit campus March 6 and 7; Sternberg, March 13 and 14; Reid, March 21 and 22, and Hinkle, March 23 and 24.

Semi-finalists meet with the search committee, the staff and faculty and make presentations to the faculty. Alumni receptions are held for the candidates during their visits, as well.

Information on candidates' visits is available by accessing the School of Education home page (www.education.pitt.edu/) and linking to Dean's Search.

The new education school dean will replace Kenneth F. Metz, who is returning to the education faculty June 30.

Vice Provost and Dean of Students According to Jack L. Daniel, vice provost for Academic Affairs, six semi-finalists will have been interviewed by March 3. "The search committee is scheduled to submit a smaller, final list of candidates to Provost James V. Maher during the week of March 6."

Daniel, who chairs the search committee, declined to name the candidates.

"Based on my assessment as well as the feedback from students, staff, faculty and administrators, the search committee will be able to provide the provost with a finals group consisting of very distinguished professionals," Daniel said.

The vice provost and dean of students is a restructured position, succeeding the vice chancellor for Student Affairs. The new appointee will replace Robert P. Gallagher, who will step down as vice chancellor for Student Affairs June 30. The division of Student Affairs has 170 staff members.

Director University Center for International Studies Vice Provost for Research George E. Klinzing, who chairs the UCIS search committee, said that six semi-finalists will be visiting Pitt's campus between March 13 and April 4. "The committee will submit our recommendations for the finalists to the provost very soon after that," he said.

The semi-finalists include two internal candidates: — Ronald A. Brand, professor of law and director, Center for International Legal Education, and — Billie R. DeWalt, distinguished service professor of public and international affairs and Latin American studies and director, Center for Latin American Studies.

Other candidates are: — Theodore C. Bestor, professor, anthropology and Asian studies, Cornell University; — G. Matthew Bonham, chair and director, International Relations Program, Syracuse University; — William Brustein, professor, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota, and

— Gilbert W. Merkx, director, Latin American and Iberian Institute, University of New Mexico.

The schedule for the campus visits is not confirmed, according to Thalia Jones, who staffs the search committee.

The director of UCIS will replace Burkart Holzner, who will resign June 30 to become a full-time faculty member.

Dean School of Dental Medicine An open forum for the dean's search will be held at 4 p.m. March 6 in G-23 Parran Hall. Committee chair Jonas Johnson said the search committee hopes to submit names of 3-5 finalists by late spring to Arthur Levine, senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences and medical school dean.

The new dean will replace Jon B. Suzuki, who stepped down Dec. 31. Susuki will remain on the dental school faculty. Thomas W. Braun is interim dean.

Dean Graduate School of Public Health The search committee for public health dean was charged Feb. 1 by Arthur Levine, senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences and medical school dean.

Loren H. Roth, associate senior vice chancellor for Health Sciences, chairs the committee.

In charging the committee, Levine stated, "I would look for a dean who has a strong sense of leaderly vision and who is able to imagine and articulate how the school should evolve with the times."

He called the appointment of a new GSPH dean "one of the most important responsibilities I shall have over the next several years."

According to Roth, the committee is looking for candidates with proven managerial ability, including budgeting and planning experience, as well as demonstrated leadership as a researcher in one of the fields represented by GSPH's six departments.

GSPH departments include: biostatistics, environmental and occupational health, epidemiology, health services administration, human genetics, and infectious diseases and microbiology. The school also houses a multidisciplinary master of public health program.

In 1998, GSPH received the third largest amount ($26.8 million) of National Institutes of Health funding among U.S. public health schools.

In addition to Roth, search committee members include: George Board III, vice president, Government Relations, UPMC Health System and faculty member, health services administration; Bruce Buchanan, University professor, computer science, Faculty of Arts and Sciences;

Joseph P. Constantino, associate professor, biostatistics, GSPH; James W. Curran, dean, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University; Katherine M. Detre, professor, epidemiology, GSPH; Robert Ferrell, professor, human genetics, GSPH; Leon Gordis, professor of pediatrics and professor of epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Philip B. Hallen, president emeritus, Maurice Falk Medical Fund; Nathan Hershey, professor of health law, GSPH; Jan Jernigan, assistant professor, health services administration, GSPH; Lewis H. Kuller, professor and chair, epidemiology, GSPH; Gary M. Marsh, professor, biostatistics, GSPH; Carol K. Redmond, vice dean for academic affairs, GSPH; Joyce Snyder, staff member, epidemiology, GSPH; and Arlin Trocme, student, epidemiology, GSPH.

The committee also is soliciting a representative of state or local government to join its ranks.

Roth said the search committee hopes to submit the names of 4-5 unranked finalists to Levine in May, so the new dean can begin work here in September.

The committee will meet every two weeks, he said. It plans to schedule a meeting with GSPH faculty and staff and an open hearing for the University community.

Donald R. Mattison stepped down as dean in December 1998. Herbert S. Rosenkranz is serving as interim dean.

–Peter Hart and Bruce Steele


Leave a Reply