Earlier today, Kyongbum Lee, chair of the search committee for the new dean of the School of Arts and Sciences (A&S), issued a call for nominations for candidates for the A&S deanship. Lee, who is dean of the School of Engineering, made the call for nominations in an email to community members at the school.

This call for nominations follows the announcement earlier this winter of the launch of the search process. In a February 22 email to all students, faculty, and staff at the school, Caroline Genco, provost and senior vice president, announced the formation of the search committee and the engagement of an executive recruitment firm to facilitate the search. 

She also listed numerous opportunities through which members of the school community would be invited to share their perspectives on the next dean of Arts and Sciences.

To recruit a diverse pool of candidates and facilitate the search process, the university has hired Isaacson, Miller, a leading executive recruitment firm that specializes in higher education. The search committee has been working with Isaacson to identify the qualities and characteristics of a successful dean, and will next build a list of candidates, including those nominated by members of the university community. 

Upcoming steps in the process include the search firm’s review of the candidate pool, the conducting of first-round interviews, and recommendation of three to four candidates to advance to interviews with members of the school community (including faculty, staff, and student leaders), senior leadership, and other stakeholders.

As part of the process, Isaacson has been consulting broadly, speaking with faculty, students, and staff about the current landscape of the school, the strategic vision for the school’s future, and the type of leader who can best help the school achieve its objectives. Those consultations have taken the form of one-on-one meetings, open forums, and small-group conversations.

“We look forward to welcoming to the Hill a new dean who will guide the A&S community to even greater heights of achievement, shaping highly engaged and nimble thinkers with the creativity and skills needed to lead us in these complex times,” said Genco.

In addition to Lee as chair of the search committee, the other members of the search committee are:

• Bernard Arulanandam, vice provost for research
• Tim Atherton, associate professor, Physics and Astronomy, School of Arts and Sciences (Faculty Senate representative)
• David Chang, chair, Board of Advisors, School of Arts and Sciences
• Heather Curtis, professor, Religion and director, Center for Humanities at Tufts, School of Arts and Sciences
• Joshua Else, senior vice president, University Advancement
• Catherine Freudenreich, professor and chair, Biology, School of Arts and Sciences
• Laura Gee, associate professor, Economics, School of Arts and Sciences
• Eulogio Guzmán, distinguished senior lecturer, Visual and Material Studies, School of the Museum of Fine Arts
• Christopher Helmuth, executive administrative dean, School of Arts and Sciences
• Melinda Latour, associate professor, Music, School of Arts and Sciences
• Heather Nathans, dean of academic affairs, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, and Nathan and Alice Gantcher Professor of Judaic Studies, Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies, School of Arts and Sciences
• Kasso Okoudjou, professor, math, School of Arts and Sciences
• Diren Pamuk Turner, senior lecturer, Chemistry, School of Arts and Sciences
• Sonya Satinsky, executive director of health and wellness, Student Life, Schools of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering
• Sam Sommers, professor and chair, Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences
• Kalahn Taylor-Clark, trustee
• Natasha Warikoo, professor, Sociology, School of Arts and Sciences

Members of the community who have individuals to nominate for the Arts and Sciences deanship are invited to share those names (and their current institutions/organizations) with the search committee via the Isaacson, Miller website. The search consultants will be responsible for contacting nominees and asking them to submit their CV if they are interested in the role. 

Those who are themselves interested in applying for the position are invited to do so via the website.

The search committee has a goal of completing this search in advance of the upcoming academic year. Beginning July 1, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Dean Bárbara Brizuela will serve as dean ad interim for the School of Arts and Sciences.