By Mallory Schlabach, Editor in Chief
Five potential candidates for the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences position will begin meeting with various groups on campus during the next month. Each candidate will spend two days in Abilene meeting with the department chairs, faculty, staff in the dean’s office, Provost Dwayne VanRheenen and Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, along with the search committee, who narrowed the finalists down.
The five were selected out of a healthy pool, said Dr. Carley Dodd, chair of the search committee and professor of communication, and include: Dr. Angi Breton, University of Arkansas; Dr. Jeanine Varner, Oklahoma Christian University; Dr. Greg Powell, professor of chemistry; Dr. Nancy Shankle, chair of the English Department; and Dr. Foy Mills, chair of the Department of Agriculture and Environment.
Dodd said the search committee formed in January. A nationwide search was advertised in the Chronicle of Higher Education and the Christian Chronicle, to allow for a larger pool of candidates, he said.
Each of the eight members of the search committee evaluated each candidate according to a matrix with 20 qualifications created by Dodd and then discussed how each candidate might work in the College on a qualitative basis.
All three candidates from ACU said they were honored by being selected as a finalist.
Shankle said she was honored to be chosen as one of the finalists among such as “powerhouse of faculty members selected.” During her 17 years at the university, she has served on various committees, as well as been chair of her department for the past seven.
“My leadership style is consensus building collaborative style, which allows me to work well in teams, bring people together and enact new programs, which is a leadership style that is unique,” she said.
Dr. Greg Powell, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, said he felt called by God to apply for the position.
“Through a series of events recently, I felt God was calling me to do this,” Powell said. “He may just be wanting me to learn something from this, but we’ll see.”
Powell said he was good at listening to problems and finding solutions, as well as responding to the needs of fellow faculty. He has served as chair of his department for three years previously and serves as chair of the Faculty Senate.
Dr. Foy Mills, chair of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, said although he enjoys his position in the department, he too, like Powell, felt called to apply for the position.
He said he saw himself as a pragmatic visionary, and one who worked well in collaboration with others. A professor at the university since 1989, Mills has served on committees and held leadership roles, as well as been a mentor to many students in his department.
Dodd said some of the main qualifications are: commitment to the mission of the university, experience in academic administration and the ability to work collaboratively with faculty, staff and students.
VanRheenen and Money will make the final decision on the new candidate to fill Dr. Colleen Durrington’s position by mid-April, which is a goal, Dodd said.
