Ball State University's College of Communication, Information and Media plans to finally have an official dean for the 2005-2006 academic year.
Provost Beverley Pitts terminated the first search for a dean last summer and reinstituted a new search in September after the committee couldn't find a suitable candidate, Michael Holmes, interim dean, said.
"It was decided that neither candidate was a good match to the needs of the college," he said.
Holmes became CCIM's intertim dean when former dean Scott Olson announced in May 2003 he was resigning to take the position of vice president of academic affairs at Minnesota State University.
Two new candidates for the position will visit the university during the next two weeks to meet with Holmes and other university officials, Rod Davis, chair of the Dean Search Committee, said.
Roger Lavery, dean of the School of Communication at Northern Arizona University, will arrive at the university Monday evening and remain on campus Jan. 18 to 19. The second dean candidate, Dennis Trinkle, associate vice president for academic affairs at DePauw University in Greencastle, will visit Ball State from Jan. 25 to 26.
Lavery will speak at a public forum at 1 p.m. on Jan. 19 at Bracken Library Room 225. Trinkle will also speak at the library at 1 p.m. on Jan. 26.
Both candidates will also spend two hours in each of the college's four departments: telecommunications, journalism, communication studies and the Center for Information and Communication Sciences.
Lavery and Trinkle will additionally meet with other academic deans, Interim Executive Director of University Development Charles Jaggers, Pitts and President Jo Ann Gora, Davis said.
According to Ball State's Human Resource Services, the college is seeking a dean "who exhibits strong leadership and management abilities and who will maintain and enhance the vision for the academic units in the college." The new dean will also play a "critical role in seeking external funding," the service said.
Pitts said the new dean will work to continue enhancing student projects and activities, especially as money from the Lilly Endowment's $20 million iCommunications grant runs out, which will result in the end of award-winning NewsLink Indiana this spring.
"NewsLink was just one part of a major, major grant, and I don't think that's something that is as clear as it could have been," Pitts said
She said the new dean will instead work to develop new ways to potentially provide a telecommunications immersion experience for students once again.
"NewsLink Indiana is one factor that is part of the Lilly grant," Pitts said. "The model funded by the grant won't be continued as it is ... I'm not willing to say NewsLink Indiana is over."
Holmes said he is confident the remainder of the dean search will go well. The search began a month earlier than last year, allowing the committee of 12 members more time to prepare.
"It just helps in getting the word out to potential candidates sooner," Holmes said. "It's a competitive market for dean candidates, so there's an advantage to announcing the search in a timely fashion."
Following the campus visits, the committee will review the candidates and read through evaluations before recommending a candidate to Pitts. If the committee is not pleased with either candidate, however, it will review the at least 20 other applicants for the position, Davis said.
"As interim dean, my biggest hope is that we will find a suitable candidate who is a good match for the college and be successful in recruiting that person," Holmes said.
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