A national search for a new dean of students is underway. Binghamton University hopes to have a new dean in place by July 2012.
Brian Rose, BU vice president for student affairs, will head the search and make the final selection for the position.
Rose said that the dean of students works to preserve student well-being and success, and is responsible for services such as the Office of Student Conduct and Campus Activities, as well as multicultural programs, off-campus services and Greek Life. The dean reports directly to the vice president for student affairs.
A search committee has not yet been appointed, but will be co-chaired by a senior staff member and a student, according to Rose. The committee will be composed of representatives from the Office of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and police, and will include an undergraduate student and possibly one graduate student.
Lloyd Howe, a veteran administrator with 33 years of experience at BU, will serve as interim dean of students — in addition to his current role as associate vice president of student affairs — while the search progresses.
“I won’t have a large role in the search process,” Howe said. “My position is to serve as the dean of students until the search is completed.”
Howe has served as BU’s dean of students before and also as interim vice president for student affairs.
“The first steps are to form the committee and to finalize the position description,” Howe said. “There is no estimate on how long it will take although there is interest in proceeding quickly, and having candidates on campus prior to when students leave.”
Howe said it is difficult to predict whether the candidate will be hired from within.
The committee plans to make its recommendations by the end of the academic year, according to Rose.
“The committee is looking for a person with leadership experience, who has supervised other staff in the past, has managed budgets, but also somebody who is able to deal well with a number of different constituencies: faculty, students and parents,” Howe said. “And I know we will want somebody accessible to students.”
Elizabeth Droz, who served as dean after an administrative reorganization of Student Affairs in 2009, accepted another position at BU, according to Rose.
“She will now serve as assistant vice president for student development and bring her skills at launching new initiatives to some different challenges,” Rose wrote in an email.
Rose said the salary for the new dean will depend on the candidate’s qualifications.