Photo credit: pharmacy.famu.edu
With 10 members present for the Search & Screening Committee, the table was set for meeting number nine in search of a new dean for the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
At approximately 2:45 PM, Dr. Reginald Perry, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Curriculum at the College of Engineering, and nine of his colleagues commenced their agenda. The agenda incorporated COPPS’ website updates, search timelines, questionnaires and rubrics for potential dean candidates, subcommittee reports and updates on dissemination of information to pharmacy students.
The College of Pharmacy made their dean search a little more communal by adding a link on the front page of the website for anyone who wants to nominate a prospective candidate.
“If you go to the Pharmacy website, there’s three little hotspots on there. The middle one is ‘Dean Search.’ So you can click right on that and that’ll take you to a page that has more information about the search,” said Dr. Perry.
The meeting continued after each member of the Search & Screening Committee took a look at Pharmacy’s updated website with the new addition.
Next, the group discussed the search timeline and the most significant dates everyone should be looking forward to in the process. March 27 will be the review meeting—this is the day the committee will review the applications for all potential candidates. April 14, 2018 marks the first round of interviews which will be through video. From May 8 to May 11, round two of interviews will take place. These interviews will be in person.
Dr. Perry gave a better explanation of how the interview process will work.
“There’s actually three rounds of the process. The first round, a potential candidate will send in their credentials. So basically, they’ll send in a CV, then they’ll send in a cover letter and then our committee will review that material.” Perry continued, “Then they’ll make a decision on whether we would like that candidate to move on to the next round. The next round would be video—Skype type interviews—and then based on those interviews then we would select candidates to go to what they call round two.”
The committee then gained a better understanding for how they would grade impending applicants for when the time comes.
Some of the committee feels as if the process is taking a while, but coincidentally the time taken is beneficial.
Dr. Perry Brown with the Institute of Public Health gave his sentiments, “The process is—by its very definition—a process. We started with defining who it is, the characteristics of the person who make the ideal dean.” Dr. Brown continued, “We’re refining those characteristics and we will see when the applications come in if there are individuals who meet the majority of those characteristics and then we’d move to the next step. So in terms of ‘How close are we?’—we’re a long way away.”
After a brief review of ways to contact COPPS students about selecting their new dean, the committee adjourned their meeting with information about their next meeting date—March 27.
Dr. Renee Reams, a professor in the College of Pharmacy Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, gave her thoughts on the consultation.
“I’ve been here 26 years, so I have been through several deans. I’m looking for someone who is dynamic, who is personable, who’s an excellent communicator, someone who has a knowledge and appreciation of the various levels of the colleges professional practice, as well as the basic sciences research.” Reams continued, “We just need an all-around person.”