We must develop, encourage, and nurture administrative talent within our own ranks, particularly by agreeing that serving as dean is an important faculty responsibility.
Candidates for academic dean will be solicited from within the regular, continuing faculty in the fall of the year preceding their term, and a decision on those candidates will be made at least six months prior to the beginning of the term. If a search for a dean fails, the provost may either appoint an interim academic dean for a year and re-run the search in the following year or begin another search immediately with the option to allow external candidates to apply. The provost will charge a DTF to oversee the process of screening applicants for the position of academic dean. This process will typically include formal interviews by the DTF, the deans' area, and the provost as well as public forums for the faculty and staff. The provost may appoint an interim academic dean to an open position if there is not enough time to complete a typical search. The term of the interim appointment may be set by the provost but shall not exceed two years without a formal, public review process.