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LARAMIE, Wyo. (AP) — The University of Wyoming is expected to have all its dean positions filled within the next two weeks after entering the 2014-2015 academic year with four openings.
"I think the process has gone extremely well," David Jones, UW's vice president for academic affairs, said. "My hat is off to the various search committees. They're the ones who do the heavy lifting."
The university filled the first open position in January, hiring Michael Pishko as the dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Pishko is the former director of the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. He currently holds several patents in the field of biomedical engineering.
In early March, UW tapped Sanjay Putrevu as the new College of Business dean. Putrevu is slated to begin employment at UW July 1. He is currently a marketing professor at State University of New York at Albany and is a former associate dean of the School of Business there.
More recently, UW named Klint Alexander the dean of the College of Law. Alexander is currently a senior lecturer in international law and politics at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. He is also a member of the Memphis-based law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz. Alexander is also set to begin his UW career July 1.
That leaves UW's College of Education dean the only position left to be filled, which is expected shortly.
For Jones and those on each search committee, the task of hiring four new deans was a time-intensive challenge, but speaks to the university's ability to bounce back from a challenging time that resulted from the short and rocky administration of former President Bob Sternberg.
"I think with having so many at one time, there's been a concern because of everything the university has been through," Jones said. "I think a lot of individuals might have shied away from this type of environment, but what we have found is really quite the opposite. We've had strong pools of candidates and strong finalists. It speaks to the resiliency of the university."
It also signals the potential for some new direction, Jones told the Laramie Boomerang (http://bit.ly/1HrUKJK).
"It can kind of depend on the circumstances, but I'd say when you have new leadership and someone with a new vision or different ideas, it can be a fresh start," he said. "The future looks really great for the university."
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Information from: Laramie Boomerang, http://www.laramieboomerang.com
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