Dean's Office Reorganization
As we look toward the future and UB’s top 25 ambitions, the College is reorganizing the Dean’s Office structure in an effort to better support departments, programs, centers and institutes and to improve and streamline processes and procedures.
Goals of the reorganization:
- Emphasize a culture of collaboration and not competition across sectors and among departments
- Respond to recommendations of the PhD Excellence Committees to reduce investment in the Dean’s Office
- Create greater capacity for strategic thinking and to approach work proactively rather than reactively
- Improve service delivery for departments
- Create more space for the Dean to engage with alumni and donors to raise philanthropic dollars
- Reduce the duplication effect of the current structure and clarify reporting lines within and outside the structure
New Structure
Academic Position Descriptions
We need the College’s most talented faculty to consider serving as sector-based associate deans. Preference will be given to faculty at the rank of full/distinguished professor and those who have significant administrative experience.
Timeline
- August 14: Deadline for associate dean nominations
- September 23: Deadline to apply for associate dean positions
- September: Associate Dean interview and selection process begins.
- Interview process includes: meetings with the dean, the faculty advisory committee who will be advising the dean throughout the process, and senior staff in the dean's office. This process will be conducted remotely.
- January 4: Associate deans begin
- January 2021-May 2021: Current associate deans and new associate deans work together for transition from current model to new model
Academic Portfolio for Associate Deans by Sector
Arts and Humanities
- Art
- Art Galleries
- Arts Management
- Asian Studies
- Center for the Arts
- Classics
- Comparative Literature
- Confucius Institute
- English
- Global Gender and Sexuality Studies
- History
- Humanities Institute
- Jewish Thought
- Media Study
- Music
- Romance Languages and Literatures
- Theatre and Dance
- Transnational Studies
Natural Sciences and Mathematics
- Biological Sciences
- Chemistry
- Communicative Disorders and Sciences
- Geology
- Math
- Materials Design and Innovation
- Physics
- Psychology
Social Sciences
- Anthropology
- Communication
- Economics
- Environment and Sustainability
- Geography
- Linguistics
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
- Sociology
Faculty Advisory Committee
Representing the range of disciplines from across the College, a committee of full professors will meet with candidates for the five associate dean positions and will serve as advisors to the dean.
- Susan Cahn, Department of History
- Cecil Foster, Department of Transnational Studies
- Mark Frank, Department of Communication
- Paul Gollnick, Department of Biological Sciences
- Lynne Koscielniak, Department of Theatre and Dance
- Jennifer Read, Department of Psychology
Sector Administrative Directors
The Sector Administrative Directors, a position developed as part of the College’s reorganization, are vital administrative support roles for each sector. The administrative directors will work closely with the Associate Deans in their respective sector as a strategic partner and advisor. The Sector Administrative Director will assume responsibility for key administration functions and management of processes for the sector.
The application period for the sector administrative directors has closed.