Yesterday morning faculty and staff of the five colleges comprising the College of Arts and Sciences gathered at the Wexner Center to discuss the opening of the executive dean position.

Interim provost and law professor Barbera Snyder mediated the forum.

The position of executive dean will be vacated July 1 by Executive Dean Michael Hogan, who will be leaving after accepting the provost position at the University of Iowa. The creation of the “super-dean” has had its share of opposition by faculty members and arts and sciences’ deans, who said it was a position of too much power, created without justification.

A search committee consisting of faculty members from the colleges of arts and sciences, the president, provost and one graduate and one undergraduate student will be formed to find the best candidate possible, Snyder said. Recommendations for the position should be sent to Snyder via e-mail no later than Feb. 25.

“I think eliciting faculty input is crucial to the executive dean’s selection,” said Richard Hamilton, professor emeritus of sociology.

The candidates will come both from Ohio State and abroad.

“This will be a national search,” Snyder said. “It is important to find the best candidate because we believe that the College of Arts and Sciences is the core when building a great university.”

The duties of the executive dean include overseeing and working alongside the other five deans whom comprise the college of Arts and Sciences. The specific duties are described in the “White Paper,” which was issued by President Karen A. Holbrook, explaning the duties of the dean.

The main reason for the creation of the position was to bring together faculty and staff from separate disciplines and have them work together to create new and exciting programs within the College of Arts and Sciences, Snyder said.

“We do not have great collaboration; that’s what we are looking to do with the creation of this position,” she said.

Until a permanant candidate is named an interim Executive Dean will be named in the near future.

The committee hopes to have a chosen candidate by Autumn 2004; however, Jan. 1 2005 is the latest possible date.