What's New in CLAS Transition 2019-20

As planning for and implementation of the CLAS transition continues, updates will be added here for quick reference, as well as to other relevant pages.

UPDATE 5/1:

I am pleased to announce that CLAS is appointing the following colleagues to new positions in the Dean's Office, effective July 1, 2020:

  • Professor of Physics and Astronomy Cornelia Lang will be our new Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.
  • Professor of Biology Joshua Weiner will be our new Associate Dean for Research.

Many thanks to the Search Committees for an outstanding job conducting these searches during unprecedented and somewhat chaotic conditions. The committees kept their searches on track, and each search resulted in an excellent appointment.

I am also grateful to the broader CLAS community. On top of all the disruptions you are dealing with in your professional and personal lives, you brought thoughtful questions and feedback to the committees to consider, and I can't thank you enough for your participation.

Steve Goddard, Dean
UI Alumni Association Dean's Chair
   in the Liberal Arts and Sciences

UPDATE 4/1:

The Search Committee for the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education is pleased to announce the second virtual "Coffee with the Candidate" session via Zoom.

The second candidate is Shaun Vecera, Professor and Herman J. and Eileen S. Schmidt Chair, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences (see Shaun Vecera's CV).

You may submit questions ahead of time via this web form: https://workflow.uiowa.edu/form/associate-dean-search-questions.

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education: Virtual "Coffee with the Candidate" #2

As with the first candidate, this session will be recorded and available for viewing after both are completed. The video and feedback survey links will be sent via email and will be found on this page.

Please join us for this important session with Professor Shaun Vecera, candidate for CLAS Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

The same procedure will be followed for candidates for Associate Dean for Research during the week of April 6-10.

UPDATE 3/30:

The Search Committee for the position of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education is pleased to announce the first of the virtual "Coffee with the Candidate" sessions with the candidates via Zoom.

The first candidate is Cornelia Lang, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Physics and Astronomy (see Cornelia Lang's CV).

You may submit questions ahead of time via this web form: https://workflow.uiowa.edu/form/associate-dean-search-questions.

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education: Virtual "Coffee with the Candidate" #1

  • Candidate #1: 2:30-3:15 p.m., Tuesday, March 31: Cornelia Lang, Associate Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of Physics and Astronomy
  • Candidate #2: 2:30-3:15 p.m., Thursday, April 2. Candidate name and Zoom link to be announced Wednesday, April 1.

The sessions will be recorded and available for viewing after both are completed. The video and feedback survey links will be sent via email and will be found on this page.

Please join us for this important session with Associate Professor Cornelia Lang, candidate for CLAS Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

The same procedure will be followed for candidates for Associate Dean for Research during the week of April 6-10.

UPDATE 3/25:

The searches for the positions of Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education and Associate Dean for Research are ongoing.

I'm writing to invite you to participate in virtual "Coffee with the Candidate" sessions with the candidates for Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education via Zoom.

  • The virtual "Coffee with the Candidate" sessions with the candidates for Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education will be on March 31 at 2:30 p.m. and April 2 at 2:30 p.m.
  • We will send the Zoom links when we announce the candidates, 24 hours before each virtual session.
  • You will be able to submit questions ahead of time via a web form, which can be found at https://workflow.uiowa.edu/form/associate-dean-search-questions.

We will follow the same procedure for the Associate Dean for Research candidates. Those virtual sessions are expected to occur the following week.

Thank you in advance for participating in these important searches.

UPDATE 2/24:

Upcoming DEI Workshops

Bria Marcelo, Director of Diversity Resources in the UI Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, will lead workshops for CLAS faculty and staff on realizing the core collegiate and university values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout every aspect of the college's work.

More information on the content, location, and times of these CLAS-specific workshops is forthcoming and will be disseminated to the CLAS community. At this time, two workshops are scheduled, on these dates:

  • Monday, March 9
  • Monday, April 13

Operational and Fiscal Management

Departmental budget meetings for the FY2021 budget process began the week of February 17.

Erin Herting, CLAS Director of Business and Financial Administration, is consulting with leadership and staff to develop budget rules that will guide the fiscal management process moving forward. These rules are expected to be completed in late spring. They will be reviewed with DEOs and Administrators, and will be easily accessible online.

CLAS Faculty Leadership Reorganization

As part of CLAS’s new process of appointing Associate Deans, the college is conducting internal collegiate searches for the positions of Associate Dean for Research and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. The search committees have been formed, and the job descriptions have been posted: View Associate Dean search information. Dean Goddard’s goal is to announce the appointments by the end of spring 2020 semester.

These searches reflect a new process for selecting the faculty leadership for our college. Associate Deans will be hired for an initial five-year, at-will appointment and, upon successful review and approval of the Dean, an additional three-year appointment. At the end of the two appointments, the position will automatically become open, and the current AD in that position will have the opportunity to reapply. The reason for this change is to ensure that as the college's needs change over time, we are matching the optimal personnel to the position.

Policy, Procedure, and Practice

The Dean’s Office is implementing Dean Goddard’s vision of departmental autonomy and accountability, in which DEOs are assuming more of the decision-making responsibility for their units. In order for this new model to be effective, the college promised to develop clear and easily accessible operational policies, procedures, and best practices for departments to follow.

Accordingly, the Dean’s Office is developing a user-friendly, easily searchable web site that will serve as “one-stop shopping” for all of these policies, procedures, and practices. This will alleviate the current situation where this information is scattered throughout the CLAS web site, and is often outdated, duplicative, or contradictory.

The original launch date for this new site was to be January 1. However, the process has been far more complicated than anticipated, and the launch date has been pushed back to July 31. This will enable the policy track team to complete the following tasks:

  • Documentation of all of the CLAS policies, procedures, and practices designated as “priority one,” or most essential for operational decision-making at the department level.
  • Review—by established DEO/Administrator committees—of each of those items.
  • Designation of a single “owner” for each item, to whom relevant questions can be addressed.
  • Removal of this information from the current CLAS site, to eliminate duplication and confusion.
  • User testing of the new site, to ensure that it delivers the content that departments need in user-friendly ways.

Strategic Planning (https://clas.uiowa.edu/excellence-and-impact/strategic-planning)  

Departmental Strategic Planning

  • Departments and other units submitted their SWOT analyses and strategic goals to the Dean’s Office.
  • Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives Sara Sanders and Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities Roland Racevskis or Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences Maggy Tomova are meeting with departments to give feedback on their plans.
  • DEOs are encouraged to schedule individual meeting times with Dean Sanders to consult on their departmental plans.

Collegiate Strategic Planning

  • CLAS is working on its new five-year strategic plan. The CLAS Strategic Planning Committee—led by Professors David Cunning and Shaun Vecera—has held several listening sessions to gain input from CLAS faculty, staff, and students. They and Associate Dean Sanders have also reviewed the departmental submissions to identify common themes that can inform the CLAS plan.
  • CLAS was required to submit a first draft of its collegiate goals, strategies, and critical tasks to the Provost by February 3. View the CLAS draft strategic goals, strategies, and critical tasks. The Provost will provide feedback that will contribute to the next iteration of the plan.
  • The committee and Associate Dean Sanders have scheduled several more listening sessions to gain feedback on the submitted goals, strategies, and critical tasks:
    • #1: Friday, February 28, 8:30-10:00, IMU Academics Room (#256)
    • #2: Tuesday, March 24, 11:30-1:00, IMU Big Ten Theatre (#348)
    • #3: Thursday, April 9, 10:15-11:45, IMU Big Ten Theatre (#348)
  • Those who are unable to come to a listening session, or have further thoughts in addition to attending one, may contribute ideas via this anonymous survey: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6xI6NOcdpULv70h.
  • Dean Sanders also encourages individuals to contact her directly with ideas, questions, and concerns related to CLAS strategic planning.

CLAS Staff Support Structure Review

CLAS senior leadership is reviewing areas of opportunity at the unit level to identify how to best support the strategic goals and operations of the college. We are reviewing the units’ staffing structure, roles and responsibilities, processes, communication channels, and resources and tools. The units below and their leadership are working through the process, and expect to complete the reviews by August 2020. Any changes, including budgetary considerations, will be finalized and communicated by August 2020.

These are the CLAS units that will be reviewed:

  • Academic Programs and Student Development, led by Helena Dettmer
  • Dean’s Office Administration, led by Brenda Gritsch
  • Departmental Administrators, led by Maggy Tomova, Roland Racevskis, and Christina Berthel
  • Finance and Accounting, led by Erin Herting
  • Grant Support, led by Marc Armstrong
  • Human Resources, led by Christina Berthel
  • Strategic Communications, led by Nic Arp

Technology Services, led by Marc Armstrong

UPDATE 11/27:

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is working on its new five-year strategic plan. The first part of the process is to complete a SWOT analysis in which we compile a list of collegiate Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, and the final part of the process is to draft the Strategic Plan itself. To that end, the CLAS Strategic Planning Committee (pdf link) invites students, faculty, and staff to participate in the following listening sessions to provide input and perspective:

  • Tuesday, December 3, 12:00-1:30, IMU Big Ten Theatre (348 IMU)
  • Tuesday, December 17, 12:00-2:00, IMU Big Ten Theatre (348 IMU)
  • Wednesday, December 18, 11:00-1:00, IMU Academics Room (256 IMU)
  • Friday, January 24, 12:00-1:30, IMU Big Ten Theatre (348 IMU)

The committee has created an online survey for you to use if you are not able to attend the listening sessions, or if you wish to provide further feedback in addition to attending a session. Please find the anonymous survey here: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eh6CqGdffJZpGmN.

UPDATE 11/20:

Below are links to the anonymous feedback surveys and CVs for the candidates for CLAS Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities. The surveys are open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 24.

Steve McGuire

 

 

Roland Racevskis

 

 

UPDATE 11/13:

The Search Committee for the position of Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities is pleased to announce open forums for the position. The name of each candidate and their CV will be announced by email the work day before their open forum. When both open forums are done, we will post video of the forums and links to feedback surveys online. 

Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities Open Forums

  • Candidate #1: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Monday, November 18, 109 EPB
  • Candidate #2: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 19, IMU Iowa Theatre (166 IMU)

UPDATE 11/7:

Below are links to the videos, feedback surveys, and CVs of the candidates for CLAS Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences. The surveys are open until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, November 13.

Jodie Plumert

 

 

Maggy Tomova

 

 

UPDATE 11/4:

There are two upcoming open forums for the position of CLAS Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences:

  • 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Tuesday, November 5; Big Ten Theatre (348 IMU): Jodie Plumert, Professor and Starch Faculty Fellow, Psychological and Brain Sciences
  • 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Wednesday, November 6; Big Ten Theatre (348 IMU): Candidate to be announced on Tuesday 11/5

UPDATE 11/1: Here are the CVs, feedback surveys, and video for each candidate for Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives:

Mary Hall Reno:

 

David Ryfe:

 

 

Sara Sanders:

 

 

 

Update 10/30:

The Search Committee is holding open forums for the position of Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives.

Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives

  • Candidate #1 (David Ryfe, Professor and Director, School of Journalism and Mass Communication): 2:30-3:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 29, 70 Van Allen Hall
  • Candidate #2 (Mary Hall Reno, Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy): 2:30-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 30, 101 Becker Communication Studies Building
  • Candidate #3 (Sara Sanders, Professor and director, School of Social Work): 2:30-3:30 p.m., Thursday, October 31, 348 Iowa Memorial Union (Big Ten Theatre)

Update 10/24:

 

Operational and Fiscal Management track

  • Erin Herting, Director of Business and Financial Administration, and Christina Berthel, Senior Director of Human Resources, are in the process of meeting with each department’s DEO, administrator, and accountant; these meetings are expected to be completed on November 12th. These meetings are for individualized discussions on each department’s unique budget. In addition, the meetings are an opportunity for discussing ideas, questions, or concerns involving CLAS accounting/grant/HR support to departments, as well as the new Dean’s Office organizational structure as it relates to departmental oversight.
  • A budget workshop for DEOs is scheduled for 3:30-5:00 p.m. on Monday, November 11, in 2520D UCC. The workshop format will be a panel with Dean Steve Goddard, Executive Associate Dean Raúl Curto; Director of Business and Financial Administration Erin Herting; and Professor and Director of Art and Art History Steve McGuire.
  • During or after January 2020, UI budget officials will offer to all CLAS faculty and staff an overview of University Budget Planning and Management.

Dean’s Office Reorganization track

  • A single search committee is working on filling the positions of Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities; Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences; and Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives. See the Search Committee.
  • The Search Committee is re-advertising the internal search for the position of Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities. All faculty at the rank of Professor in the arts and humanities are encouraged to consider applying for the position. View the job listing.
  • If you know of a colleague whom you think would be an innovative and collaborative leader for the arts and humanities, please encourage them to apply, or nominate them by sending an email to one of the Search Committee co-chairs: Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez (ana-m-rodriguez@uiowa.edu) or Jerry Moon (jerald-moon@uiowa.edu). If you are considering applying and would like to learn more about the position, please contact Dean Goddard at steve-goddard@uiowa.edu. All inquiries and nominations will be kept confidential.
  • The Search Committee has announced open forums for the positions of Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences. The name of each candidate will be announced by email the day before their open forum. When all open forums are done for each position, we will post video of the forums online. Forum times and locations: 

Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives

  • Candidate #1: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 29, 70 Van Allen Hall
  • Candidate #2: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 30, 101 Becker Communication Studies Building
  • Candidate #3: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Thursday, October 31, 348 Iowa Memorial Union (Big Ten Theatre)

Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences

  • Candidate #1: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Tuesday, November 5, 348 Iowa Memorial Union (Big Ten Theatre)
  • Candidate #2: 2:30-3:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 6, 348 Iowa Memorial Union (Big Ten Theatre)

 

Policy, Procedure, and Practice track

  • Kristi Fitzpatrick, Director, CLAS Grant Support Office, is leading the Policy, Procedure, and Practice track.
  • CLAS policies identified as “priority one” for departments’ operational needs are being written or revised as needed.
  • Kristi’s team is then consulting with three CLAS Policy Review Committees, comprising DEOs and ASG members, to ensure that each of those “priority one” CLAS policies is clear and useful for departmental users.

Review committee members are:

Policy Categories: Research, Graduate Education, Renovation, and Instructional Equipment

    • Review Members: Mark Blumberg, Warren Darling, Liz Cecil, and Brenna Goode

Policy Categories: Faculty

    • Review Members: Steve Duck, Tammie Walker, Tiffany Schier, and Chuck Wieland

Policy Categories: Administration & Enrollment Management

    • Review Members: Brian Lai, Jennifer Glanville, Kayt Conrad, and Allison Rockwell
       
  • All CLAS policies will undergo this process during the coming months.
  • A policy website is in development; the site will go live before spring semester 2020. This site will provide “one-stop shopping” for CLAS Dean’s Office policies related to collegiate and departmental operational and fiscal management.

Strategic Planning track

  • As noted above, open forums are scheduled for the finalists for the position of Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives.
  • This page features resources related to departmental, collegiate, and university strategic planning.
  • Dean Goddard led a kickoff meeting of DEOs and departmental strategic planning representatives on October 7; he also led a strategic planning workshop with this group on October 21.
  • Dean Goddard will lead a workshop with this group on November 18 about defining departmental visions and missions, as part of the strategic planning process.
  • Beginning in January, these workshops will also be offered:
    • Developing near term goals and measures aligned to your annual operating plan/budget
    • Strategic Initiatives Requests Process and Templates
    • Values and Behaviors
    • Crucial Conversations and Change Leadership

Update 10/7:

Added: CLAS Strategic Planning Resources 2019 (See this link for timelines, committee information, current plans, and workshop information.)

Update 9/27:

PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for applications for the Associate Dean positions has been extended to 11:59 pm on Sunday, September 29, 2019.

Links to UI job listings:

Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives

Associate Deans for the Areas (Arts & Humanities and Natural, Mathematical, & Social Sciences)

Update September 18, 2019:

The search committee has been announced for the Associate Dean positions:

Dean                  Steve Goddard, Dean, CLAS

Admin                Alaina Hanson, Faculty HR, CLAS

Co-Chair             Jerry Moon, Professor, CSD

Co-Chair             Ana Rodríguez-Rodríguez, Associate Professor, Spanish & Portuguese

Member              Dan Matheson, Associate Professor of Instruction, Health & Human Physiology

Member              Becca Tritten, Division Administrator, World Languages, Literatures, & Cultures

Member              Maurine Neiman, Associate Professor, Biology

Member              George Hospodarsky, Associate Research Scientist, Physics & Astronomy

Member              Craig Gibson, Professor, Classics

Member              Ben Coelho, Professor, Music

Member              Sara Mitchell, Professor, Political Science

Member              Rachel McLaren, Associate Professor, Communication Studies

Member              Mary Beth Easley, Associate Professor, Theatre Arts

Update September 11, 2019:

Please visit this page for an update on all aspects of Driving Excellence and Impact. This was provided to faculty and staff shared governance groups on September 10, and appeared in the DEO Mailing on September 11.

Update September 9, 2019:

To:                Departmental Executive Officers

From:           Steve Goddard, Dean

Re:                Searches for new Associate Deans

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences seeks internal candidates to fill three Associate Dean positions in the areas of Strategic Initiatives, Arts & Humanities, and Natural, Mathematical, & Social Sciences. 

The search committee will meet to discuss candidate applications on or after September 27, 2019.  Interviews are expected to take place in October, with the appointment beginning no later than January 1, 2020.

If you are interested in this position or would like to encourage other faculty members you believe would execute these duties exceptionally well, please refer to the position description links below:

Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives

Associate Deans for the Areas (Arts & Humanities and Natural, Mathematical, & Social Sciences)

Expressing interest in these positions and/or applying for these positions is a confidential process.  We will maintain confidentiality in accordance to the University Policy on Job Applicant Confidentiality.  Your name will only be discussed within the context of the search committee meetings, until it is appropriate to make the finalists’ names public, unless otherwise requested.

If you have any questions regarding this search process, please contact Steve Goddard, steve-goddard@uiowa.edu.

Thank you.

Update August 29, 2019:

CLAS is conducting an internal search during fall 2019 for three new Associate Dean positions:

  • Associate Dean for the Arts and Humanities
  • Associate Dean for the Natural, Mathematical, and Social Sciences
  • Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives

The searches will be conducted by a single joint committee, comprising 6-10 individuals representing multiple perspectives from across the college.

We are seeking nominations for the search committee. If you are interested in serving, or have colleagues in mind who you think would be good search committee members, please tell us by email at clas-transition@uiowa.edu.

The committee will host open forums for the candidates and will welcome feedback from faculty, staff, and students.

Update August 22, 2019:

Added New CLAS Budget Model to https://clas.uiowa.edu/excellence-and-impact/operational-and-fiscal-management