Last week, cell biology and neuroscience scholar Dr. Paula Lutz was named the Arts and Sciences dean at the University of Wyoming.
Dr. Lutz will succeed the retiring B. Oliver Walter, who has held the dean position in the College of Arts and Sciences since 1989. Lutz’s work at UW will begin in July.
Lutz served as dean of College of Letters & Science at Montana State University for the past five years. She also was a professor of cell biology and neuroscience.
UW Provost Myron Allen announced Lutz’s hiring last Tuesday. According to Allen, Dr. Lutz has a long list of accomplishments, including innovative teaching and curricular initiatives, diversity enhancement and programs to advance research and graduate education.
“She has served in Montana State University, which has a lot of similarities to ours,” Allen said. “She knows the nature of the University of Wyoming pretty well just from the places that she’s worked. I think that her transition will be pretty smooth. I also think she’s a really accomplished academic so she knows what professors do, what department heads do. She’ll have no trouble making her transition.”
Dr. Lutz also has worked in budget management and strategic planning and faculty hiring and career development. As well as her work with faculty, Lutz has an exemplary teaching and research record of her own, Allen says.
She was dean of the University of Missouri-Rolla College of Arts and Sciences from 2002 to 2007 and the dean of College of Letters & Science at Montana State until now.
Dr. Lutz was one of three finalists selected by a search committee of 13 including faculty members in the Arts and Sciences, two UW vice presidents, and the director of the Wyoming Humanities Council. Bill Gern, vice president for research and economic development, served as the group’s chair.
“All 3 of the candidates were impressive. It wasn’t an easy choice. It really boiled down to the fact that Dr. Lutz has a management style and philosophy that are pretty consistent with the way we operate here at UW. It seems to me that she would be a really good fit with the other academic deans that we have. She is just a little better fit for the institution than the other candidates,” Allen said.
