Faced with the upcoming departure of Adam Falk, Hopkins administrators have formed a committee to begin the search for a new head of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS).
Chaired by Provost Lloyd Minor, the 20-person committee is comprised of faculty members from a variety of disciplines, but only has one student representing the undergraduate population.
"I will do my best to represent the undergraduate student interest and encourage suggestions and input from my undergraduate classmates," said senior Katelyn Saner, the sole undergraduate voice on the selection committee.
Saner was unsure why Minor asked her to serve on the committee. "I'm not sure how he got my name," she said.
The history major has previously served on the committee that selected James Fry to be the Assistant Dean of Academic Advising in 2008, and has worked on the Dean's Advisory Committee.
In an e-mail broadcast to the Hopkins community on Monday, Minor wrote that he and President Ronald Daniels "believe this committee will do an excellent job of bringing all of these perspectives to the search process. "
"In the weeks ahead, search committee members will be reaching out to other constituents across the university and certainly to members of the Krieger School community."
Minor could not be reached for comment before press time.
Saner did express some concern about having such a small undergraduate presence on the committee.
"The committee is heavy on faculty and perhaps could have done with a few more undergraduate and graduate representatives, certainly when one thinks about the student-to-faculty ratio within the Krieger School," she said.
Patricia Peart, the sole graduate student on the committee, declined a request for comment from The News-Letter.
Andrew Douglas, committee member and Vice Dean for Faculty for the Whiting School of Engineering, felt it was important to have the views of undergraduate students during selection.
Having only one undergraduate on the committee, however, was not necessarily issue for him.
"It is not really a question of quantity, but of quality and the power of Katelyn's ideas and views," he said.
"It's probably important to keep a committee like this one fairly small simply from the practical standpoint of being able to schedule meetings and keep the process going," committee member and English Professor Frances Ferguson said.
Douglas compared the process of undergraduate involvement in the dean selection to having such students working in laboratory research.
"We work closely with students and allow the power of their ideas to give them a voice not often shared by undergraduates at other institutions," he said.
"I look forward to this same culture of the power of good ideas being what counts rather than the titles that a person might have."The committee plans to ask for nominations of potential candidates from undergraduates and other faculty members.
"Even before the committee has met, I can predict that we'll be asking for nominations of strong candidates, but won't be consulting faculty and students informally to ask what they think of particular candidates. Confidentiality is very important in a search of this kind," Ferguson said.
Douglas hoped his experience as a former interim dean would give the committee a perspective on what challenges their selection would be facing at Hopkins.
History Professor Gabrielle Spiegel also brings administrative experience to the committee, having served as the Dean of Faculty for two years.
Spiegel will be looking for a candidate who understands or would be willing to learn about "the particular research culture of the school."
Ferguson agreed to be on the committee because she thinks "that the selection of a dean is one of the most important decisions that students and faculty confront."
A major factor in her selection process will be the academic standing of the candidate.
"I am firmly of the opinion that academic administrators should not only have demonstrated substantial administrative skills but should also be strong academics themselves," she said.
But Spiegel will be evaluating the candidates on more than just academics.
"Being a dean is as much about one's values and character as it is about administrative experience," she said.
Saner said that she will personally be looking for "someone with the ability to guide the diverse array of disciplines and values that encompass the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences."
Douglas said the most important factors he is considering in a candidate are leadership and a broad understanding of "the role and importance of undergraduates in a research university and a true appreciation of the contributions of the humanities and social sciences to a university that is so strong in medicine, public health, nursing and engineering."
While they recognized that having advanced knowledge of how the University works would be an asset, committee members were open to the idea of selecting a dean who may not necessarily be from Hopkins.
"I think there are people from Hopkins who have the potential to make great replacements," Saner said.
However, she did not name any potential candidates.
"An internal candidate would understand the way we work more rapidly, but I think that the committee should not be worrying about the immediate future [and instead] focus on long-term goals," Spiegel said.
Ferguson felt that the national search would add credibility if the position were ultimately filled by someone at Hopkins.
Douglas felt that a strong candidate must have a solid understanding of the Krieger school, but did not necessarily have to be someone from Hopkins.
"Someone from KSAS would have the advantage of knowing our culture, but we should be open to diverse candidates from diverse backgrounds," he said.
While her first concern is that the candidate be qualified, committe member and Biology Professor Beverly Wendland also considered diversity to be an important factor.
"I certainly will do my part to ensure that our committee makes every effort to nominate and consider diverse candidates," she said.Wendland felt that either an internal or external candidate would be fine if they embodied, "all of the excellent qualities exhibited by Dean Falk."
Falk will be leaving Hopkins in April to become the president of Williams College."I can say It will be a challenge to replace the steady competent leadership we enjoyed under Dean Adam Falk. I wish Adam success in this next exciting chapter of his career," Physics and Astronomy Professor Collin Broholm said.
"The committee will work hard to identify the very best candidate for the future of KSAS."
Spiegel praised Falk for his administrative skill and his sensitivity "to the particular character of Hopkins as a university."
Douglas hoped to find a new dean who would continue to facilitate the "excellent relationship" between the two schools.
The committee includes representatives from nearly every division at Hopkins.
Wendland said she was while at first she was surprised by the range of divisions that were represented on the committee.
"It seems appropriate given the important role of [KSAS] in the University, and the interactions the new Dean will need to have with leadership both within the school and across the whole University," she said.
"I think the committee is composed of a wide spectrum of the Hopkins community, which is wise, since the Dean of the KSAS will be working with not only with the whole range of the Krieger School but also with colleagues across the Divisions," Spiegel said.
"We all have a profound stake in the well being of each part of the University as a whole."
"I hope it will be beneficial to have faculty from both campuses work together in the search for a new Dean," said committee member and School of Medicine Professor Paul Fuchs.
"I believe that the University can continue to find synergy in combining the wealth of intellectual resources on both the Homewood and medical campuses."
Committee member and School of Public Health Professor Dani Fallin is currently on maternity leave and could not be reached for comment.
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