Search for the Dean the School of Arts and Sciences and School of Business and Economics Continues for Another Semester

By Cameron Hosseinian

John Garvey announced on June 2, 2015, that Andrew Abela was appointed to University Provost at Catholic University.
Garvey described Abela as “a charismatic figure with an accomplished academic record, excellent leadership skills, and a passion for the University’s mission, who would command the respect of the board, the cabinet, the deans, the faculty, and the student body.”
Abela was the founding Dean of School of Business and Economics. The rapid appointment of Abela to Provost of the University left the position of Dean to the School of Business and Economics open.
Brian Engelland, an Ordinary Professor of Marketing in the School of Business and Economics, and the Edward J. Pryzbyla Chair of Business and Economics, has become Interim Dean while a search committee of select staff searches for a new one.
This search committee is composed of a variety of select faculty members who work alongside alumni, as well as a search firm. In addition, once the candidates are selected, undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to interview the selected few in order to guarantee they are a perfect fit for Catholic University. With such a thorough selection process, it comes as no surprise that there are drawbacks as this process will be lengthy, rigorous, and costly. However, Engelland is sure that this search committee will make the right decision.
“I am confident that the process will result in a great filled the position of Acting Dean.
Bornholdt was able to shed light on the current status of the Dean’s position.
“I have served as Acting (i.e. Interim) Dean during academic year 2014/2015 and I continue to serve in this capacity during the current academic year,” said Bornholdt. “The University is now starting a new search. A search committee has been appointed by President Garvey and the search will be facilitated by a search firm.”
Though Bornholdt is fulfilling the role as Acting Dean, there are concerns because there has not been a full time Dean for a little over a year now and the search is costly. The School of Arts and Sciences, the University’s biggest school, has more than 170 faculty members, 1500 undergraduate and 600 graduate students.
Two separate searches for different Deans taking place within the same school year has caused mild concern as there have already been major changes to the administration within the last six months.
Some of these alterations include the appointment of Scott Rembold to the position of Vice President for University Advancement, and the appointment of Christopher Lydon as Vice President for Enrollment Management and Marketing.
Students feel as though the decision to have two separate ongoing search committees within the same school year seems rather counterintuitive considering the cost and time it will take.
“I think the search committee is a smart solution, but if it’s going to be a long drawn out process they may need to revisit the procedure for selecting a new Dean,” said sophomore Economics major, Anthony DiGrado.
Ultimately, the decision of which candidate is appointed Dean will ultimately fall to Catholic University’s President, John Garvey, and the search committee he has called together.