MSU appoints five deans

EAST LANSING – In the two-and-a-half years since June Youatt became Michigan State University’s provost, she’s seen deans come and go in six of the university’s 17 colleges.

It doesn’t trouble her. Across academia, deans serve only about five years on average. She sees the fact that other schools are interested in MSU administrators as a good sign.

“Folks have made their contributions and look to do more,” she said, by way of explanation. “Others are reaching their point of retirement.”

MSU’s Board of Trustees filled five dean vacancies during their June 17 meeting, three with permanent hires and two with interim appointees.

Christopher Long will lead the College of Arts and Letters, Randolph Rasch the College of Nursing. Sanjay Gupta, who became interim dean of the Eli Broad College of Business last year, moved into the position on a permanent basis.

Neal Schmitt, who first began teaching at MSU in 1974, returned from retirement to serve as interim dean of the College of Social Science this fall, replacing Marietta Baba, who led the college since 2001. MSU’s Graduate School will also have a new interim leader this fall in Judith Stoddart.

While the university conducted national searches for potential deans, Youatt said officials also spent time internally evaluating where the university has room to improve.

As a result, MSU is now looking to hire about 100 new faculty members to improve academic quality, expand research capacity and extend institutional reach, Youatt said.

“This is a year when we’ve made significant progress in identifying where our academic and research strengths are and where we need to grow,” Youatt said. Through these evaluations, Youatt said MSU has also identified a need to better prepare its students for emerging careers, particularly in areas of computational math and science.

The newly appointed deans said broadening MSU’s academic and research capacity were high priorities. So, too, was the ability to connect with alumni and potential donors.

Thanks to his time as acting dean of the Eli Broad College of Business last year, Sanjay Gupta said he’s well-apprised of the college’s goals and initiatives. He also knows full-well the challenges unique to the business school.

Given the importance of rankings for business schools, Gupta said faculty are continually ensuring programs are on the cutting edge of what prospective employers need. Beyond the classroom, Gupta said the college needs to maintain its own brand. The Eli Broad name is one Gupta hopes will draw students from across the county as well as internationally.

Faculty and staff at the business college are also developing a new entrepreneurship minor open to students from across the university.

“We’re looking at what traits successful entrepreneurs have and how to incorporate those skills into a professional development program,” Gupta said. Faculty members also continue to build programs in data systems and business analytics, areas of supreme interest in today’s marketplace, Gupta said.

Christopher Long, formerly a professor of philosophy and classics at Penn State, said he plans to extend MSU’s land grant philosophy more broadly through the College of Arts and Letters and to continue a recent emphasis on the use of digital tools to study the humanities.

“The land grant mission means public access and inclusiveness, and our long-term success as a nation requires a thoughtful populace,” Long said.

In addition, he plans to cultivate the community around the college across multiple platforms. Doing so will ensure alumni know what’s going on at MSU and help them to connect and understand the value of the education students receive, Long said.

“I’m hoping to create a sense of community for our students and alumni, rather than simply pushing information on them,” he said.

Prabu David, entering his first fall semester as MSU’s Communication Arts and Sciences dean, emphasized collaboration with other colleges as a key goal. David began his tenure as dean in January, after serving as associate dean for academics at Washington State University’s Murrow College of Communication.

Pairing the fields of engineering, nursing and communication is one of David’s foremost objectives. He hopes his college can be a catalyst across campus for new technology and public health campaigns.

“We’re continuing to invest in biological and neuroscience-based communication for our students,” David said. A real-world application could be helping people to stop smoking with targeted health messages, he said.

Given the broad range of research interests, David said he has to be a consensus-builder: someone with a distinct vision who is also able to blend feedback and perspectives from multiple facility members and departments.

In doing so, David hopes to build a college alumni want to follow and support.

Despite a recent flurry of dean appointments, Youatt said she isn’t anticipating a slowdown until sometime next year. She expects several deans to retire after the 2015-16 academic school year.

Fred Poston, who currently serves as the dean of the college of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is expected to retire at the end of the year as will current law school dean Joan Howarth.

Dean Schmidt, who agreed to return from retirement while MSU searches for a new head of the College of Social Science, will retire again once a candidate is found, Youatt said.

Dr. Marsha Rappley, dean of the College of Human Medicine since 2006, will be leaving her position to take a new job as CEO of the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System prior to the start of the fall semester, Youatt said.

Contact RJ Wolcott at (517) 377-1026 orrwolcott@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @wolcottr