Search committees for the new deans of the School of Communication and the School of Public Affairs will begin Sept. 28 as SOC Dean Larry Kirkman and SPA Dean William LeoGrande step down next year.
Provost Scott Bass said the SOC and SPA search committees are different in structure due to each school’s choice.
SPA opted for a committee of three representatives from the school’s three departments. SOC faculty chose one faculty member from the school’s four divisions, as well as four faculty members to represent all AU faculty members.
Both search committees also include two staff members, one undergraduate student and one graduate student from each school.
SOC student representatives were peer-nominated, while SPA chose student representatives who embodied the “needs of the students in SPA and at AU,” according to Bass.
Student Government President Tim McBride will serve as the undergraduate student representative for SPA.
“I can’t speak for the group, but … I would like someone who will be responsive to student concerns, desires and values our input,” McBride said. “Additionally somebody who shares the values of American University, diversity and service.”
SOC Associate Professor Matthew Nisbet, a search committee member, said he would like someone “dedicated to scholarly and professional innovation, student and faculty achievement, as well as building on the global profile of SOC as a leading international center for the studying of communications, journalism, digital media and film.”
Bass said he does not know how long the process will take to hire the new deans.
