Effective May 12, the College of Applied Sciences and Technology will have a new dean.
Terry King, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said Mitch Whaley, chairman of the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science, was chosen to lead the college after a nationwide search.
King said a search for the position began in the summer. A search committee advertised the job description Fall Semester, and conducted on-campus interviews in February, he said.
Although he did not have specific numbers on how many people applied, King said, national searches tend to have several applicants.
He said the committee narrowed the search to three finalists. Besides Whaley, one finalist was from California State University in Los Angeles and the other was from the University of Southern Maine, he said.
"I'm absolutely pleased that [Whaley] decided to throw his hat into the ring," King said. "The job of dean is not easy and requires the kind of skills that are demanding. He rose to the top of a legitimate national search."
King said when Ball State University searched for a dean, he looked for two qualities in the person. One is the experience the candidate has as a professor, teaching research and service, he said. The other is leadership experience and if the candidate has what it takes to lead a large organization such as a college.
"[Whaley] is a very strong faculty member both in teaching and with research," King said. "He has led the department in his school as chairman, so he has the characteristics I look for."
Whaley has been chairman of the School of Physical Education, Sport and Exercise Science since 2002, and has taught at Ball State since 1986.
Whaley said in a news release he was looking forward to leading the College of Applied Sciences and Technology, which has had consistent growth in the past five years and is now the second largest enrolled college on campus.
"My immediate goals as the new CAST dean center on facilitating the college's activities associated with the university's strategic plan goals, particularly in the areas of education and scholarship," Whaley said in the release.
King said it was typical for a dean to remain at a college for five to seven years, so with having seven colleges, such as Ball State for example, it was normal to have about one dean search a year.
"It's always invigorating to search for deans because we get a lot of visibility," King said.
Whaley did not return phone calls for comment by the time of publication.
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