David Chicoine, interim dean, since Aug. 14, is expected to end his term prior to Jul. 1 of next year. At this time, the College of Business is searching for a new dean.
Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Kate Miller said that Interim Dean Chicoine was selected to serve in that role in order to set the groundwork for whoever is selected as the incoming dean.
“I brought the current interim dean on to help work with the College of Business to prepare for the new dean,” Miller said. “He is doing some tasks to set the groundwork for the incoming dean.”
The selection of a new dean will be up to the dean search committee, chaired by College of Law Dean Klint Alexander.
“The search entails of putting together a committee of stakeholders, which is being chaired by Dr. Klint Alexander who is dean of the College of Law,” Miller said. “We also have contracted with a search firm that has helped with university searches in the past. The search firm’s role is to help us with the search process, especially with finding external candidates.”
Miller said that the search committee will reach a decision, submit the recommendation to her and she will propose the recommendation to the president of the university and the board of trustees. There will be communication among stakeholders, students and faculty as to what they would like to see in a new dean.
Jessica Morrow, a dual major in management and marketing, said that the College of Business should have a dean who is able to make decisions while considering the input of students.
“I think that the College of Business needs a dean that isn’t afraid to make decisions, but also takes into consideration the needs of the students,” Morrow said.
One issue that the incoming dean will need to consider is the availability of course times.
“I know one of my biggest frustrations with the College of Business is the lack of class times offered for required courses,” Morrow said. “So, having someone make necessary changes like that is crucial.”
The search committee should take into account the successes and failures of deans in the past while they make their decision.
“The committee needs to take into consideration the successes and failures of past deans when looking for a new one,” Morrow said.
The conduct of former College of Business Dean Sanjay Putrevu, in particular, should be considered as the committee searches for candidates.
“I loved how involved Dean Sanjay Putrevu was with the students, but he made few decisions that helped better the overall College of Business,” Morrow said.
Amanda Hinchey, a senior majoring in business management and Spanish with a minor in finance, said that she believes the dean search committee ought to consider a potential candidate’s ability in outreach and intent on supporting the university.
“I think it would be important to have some who wants to get to know student[s] in the college and someone who is excited to be at the University of Wyoming,” Hinchey said.
Hinchey was not familiar with the Interim Dean Chicoine.
“I can’t tell you the name of the current interim dean, which probably means he is doing a good job,” Hinchey said.
Although the recommendation of the search committee might take place as early as the board of trustees meeting in March, the search committee is not going to arrive hastily to a decision.
“The recommendation of the search committee might be brought to the board of trustees as early as their board meeting in March,” Miller said. “We’re going to take our time, though, we’re not going to hire just anybody for this position at UW.”
