The College of Letters and Science holds interviews in search for a new dean

From Nov. 5 to 8, the MSU College of Letters and Sciences (CLS) held open forums between four finalists and a search committee to help inform the hiring of a new dean.

In July 2024, MSU announced current Dean Yves Idzerda’s plan to step down from his position and return to research and teaching in the MSU Physics Department, according to the MSU website. Idzerda will leave his position at the end of this semester. 

Last week, the CLS held open forums for each of the four potential candidates looking to fill the shoes of Idzerda. Students and faculty alike were encouraged to attend and provide feedback. During the open forums each candidate presented their responses to questions about how they envision the future of MSU. 

While Idzerda’s focus is in physics, the selection committee is considering candidates with backgrounds in geology, sociology, history and bio-statistics according to the candidates’ Curricula Vitae (CV) — a kind of academic resume — found on the MSU event calendar. 

MSU’s job posting outlines the qualifications and qualities the search committee is seeking. They state that a successful candidate will have integrity, curiosity, confidence, humility, authentic character and a strong work ethic. 

“After the finalists’ visits, the committee meets to consider and then provides their observations and summary of the strengths and weaknesses of each finalist,” MSU spokesman Michael Becker said in an interview with the Exponent. “The provost would then make an offer to a candidate, and if that offer is accepted, an announcement would be made to campus.” 

Becker noted that there is not a specific date on which this decision will be announced as of now. “The search is ongoing. A campus-wide announcement will be made when there's a decision on the successful finalist,” he said.

Each candidate participated in interviews throughout the day and presented at the open forum that night. They addressed throughout their presentations —  specifically in regards to land-grant institutions —  the challenges and opportunities that are found in colleges today, along with their plan for the next five years should they be granted the position. This was followed by a small reception and time for audience questions. 

The four finalists for the position are Tamela Eitle, Julia Baldwin, Stephanie Santorico and William Thomas. According to the MSU News Service, Eitle is currently the dean of the School of Liberal Arts and a sociology professor at Indiana University Indianapolis. In her CV, she outlines over 24 years of experience as a professor. She also has an extensive history at MSU. She has spent two years as associate dean of Letters and Science, three years as the director of liberal studies and an additional three years as senior vice provost. 

Baldwin is currently the interim dean of the College of Humanities and Sciences at the University of Montana (UM). On her CV, she lists 19 years as a professor, four years as the associate dean in the College of Humanities and Sciences and has held her current position for the last two years, all at UM. She earned her most recent diploma at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she received a Ph.D. in geology. 

The third candidate, Santorico, has taught statistics for 25 years and has held her position as interim dean of the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado (CU) Denver for the last year. Before that she was the interim associate dean for two different departments successively within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at CU Denver, according to her CV. She has also worked as the interim dean of the College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver since 2008.

Thomas, the final candidate, currently serves as the associate dean for research and graduate education in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln according to the calendar. Thomas’s CV states that he has been teaching history for the last 27 years. The first eight were spent at the University of Virginia and the last 19 at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Psychology major Scotlyn Krueger said that she hopes a new dean would open up more research opportunities for students.  “When I’ve talked to some of my peers in my psychology classes, they’ve noted that it’s very difficult to get research opportunities as they need experience, but when they attempt to get experience it’s very scarce or they aren’t qualified enough.” 

According to Krueger, these students receive confusing information when seeking guidance from faculty. “Extra help that is concise and [keeps] students in the loop for how to get attainable experience would be very beneficial to many psych students here at MSU,” she said.

When asked about what she hoped to see accomplished with a new administration, cell biology & neuroscience and history double-major Annika Gao, said, “I don’t know who the dean is [right now] or any of the events, so I feel like communication could definitely be better going forward.” 

“I wasn’t aware of the [incoming] new dean, but I hope they bring positive changes, especially in updating the information provided about each department’s programs and highlighting the importance of each field,” said psychology major Madeline De Vany. De Vany is the president of Psi Chi, the on-campus branch of an international psychology honor society. 

“I’d also love to see more community events that bring together students from different majors,” she said.

For more information on the candidates, go to https://www.montana.edu/calendar/events/52212.