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The Daily OrangeSchool of Information Studies dean to step down in August 2007
By Jim Armstrong
Posted: 9/7/06, 12:50 AM EST Section: News
After 11 years at the helm of the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, Dean Raymond F. von Dran is stepping down, effective August 2007.
Beginning then, a new dean will take the IST reigns and try to pick up where von Dran will leave off.
Currently, Mitch Wallerstein, dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is overseeing the search for a new dean.
Under Dean von Dran, IST transformed into one of the most prestigious information schools in the country. Von Dran will supervise the construction of all seven of the school's research centers and the expansion of IST's faculty and student body.
"Ray has been a tremendous leader of an absolutely first-rate information school on the cutting edge of many fields," said Chancellor Nancy Cantor in an IST press release.
IST has a number of challenges it will have to face, and the new dean is going to have to find a creative way to find the solutions, Wallerstein said.
"We are looking for someone with a vision, someone that can follow in the footsteps of Dean von Dran," Wallerstein said. "The new dean will have to be collaborative because the faculty within IST (is) a very collaborative group."
To aid in the search for a new dean, Wallerstein has helped create a committee composed largely of IST faculty, Wallerstein said. However, the board also consists of a board of advisors, one graduate student and one undergraduate student.
Additionally, Heidrick & Struggles, a firm that helps universities find new faculty, is assisting the committee in carrying out a comprehensive search for prospective candidates, Wallerstein said. With the help of H&S, the committee will reach out to academic communities to find good candidates to consider.
Ensuring a fair and extensive process to find candidates that should be considered is key in making a decision, Wallerstein said. The application deadline is Oct. 15, and at that time the committee will review the list of prospective candidates.
Following Oct. 15 there will be a series of meetings in which the committee will pare down the list of candidates to a short list of two or three candidates, Wallerstein said. The board will then submit the candidates to SU's provost and vice chancellor for the final interviews.
"The goal is to attempt to reach that decision sometime in the spring, but early enough so the vice chancellor and provost can have further meetings with the candidates and make a final offer," Wallerstein said.
Dean von Dran plans to take a year's absence and return to SU as a professor and researcher for the 2008 academic year, according to the IST press release.
IST's new dean will receive materials from both SU and IST to be better familiarized with the nuances of the school. Following this process, the new dean is expected to start during the fall 2007 semester.
Beginning then, a new dean will take the IST reigns and try to pick up where von Dran will leave off.
Currently, Mitch Wallerstein, dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is overseeing the search for a new dean.
Under Dean von Dran, IST transformed into one of the most prestigious information schools in the country. Von Dran will supervise the construction of all seven of the school's research centers and the expansion of IST's faculty and student body.
"Ray has been a tremendous leader of an absolutely first-rate information school on the cutting edge of many fields," said Chancellor Nancy Cantor in an IST press release.
IST has a number of challenges it will have to face, and the new dean is going to have to find a creative way to find the solutions, Wallerstein said.
"We are looking for someone with a vision, someone that can follow in the footsteps of Dean von Dran," Wallerstein said. "The new dean will have to be collaborative because the faculty within IST (is) a very collaborative group."
To aid in the search for a new dean, Wallerstein has helped create a committee composed largely of IST faculty, Wallerstein said. However, the board also consists of a board of advisors, one graduate student and one undergraduate student.
Additionally, Heidrick & Struggles, a firm that helps universities find new faculty, is assisting the committee in carrying out a comprehensive search for prospective candidates, Wallerstein said. With the help of H&S, the committee will reach out to academic communities to find good candidates to consider.
Ensuring a fair and extensive process to find candidates that should be considered is key in making a decision, Wallerstein said. The application deadline is Oct. 15, and at that time the committee will review the list of prospective candidates.
Following Oct. 15 there will be a series of meetings in which the committee will pare down the list of candidates to a short list of two or three candidates, Wallerstein said. The board will then submit the candidates to SU's provost and vice chancellor for the final interviews.
"The goal is to attempt to reach that decision sometime in the spring, but early enough so the vice chancellor and provost can have further meetings with the candidates and make a final offer," Wallerstein said.
Dean von Dran plans to take a year's absence and return to SU as a professor and researcher for the 2008 academic year, according to the IST press release.
IST's new dean will receive materials from both SU and IST to be better familiarized with the nuances of the school. Following this process, the new dean is expected to start during the fall 2007 semester.
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