Thirteen members of the Florida State University and Florida A&M University (FAMU-FSU) College of Engineering Dean Search Committee gathered at the institution of the same name Wednesday morning.
The Dean Search Committee was just established in December of 2015 by each University’s provost after the previous Dean, Dr. Yaw Yeboah stepped down from office on July 31.
Chosen by FAMU Provost Marcella David, the meeting began with the official Chair, Dr. Maurice Edington, discussing protocols and general ideas for selecting a new Dean.
Each member was required to share at least five traits that they feel the new Dean of the institution should possess in order to form a collective decision.
Dr. David H. Jackson Jr., is a History Professor, Associate Provost for Graduate Education, and Dean of the Graduate College at the FAMU campus. He currently serves as the co-chair for the Dean Search Committee of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.
“We want to find someone that meets the expectations of the people at the College,” said Jackson. “As Dean of the Graduate College at Florida A&M University, I would like for the person to have some level of commitment to graduate education, and is looking to move the graduate program ahead into the future at the College of Engineering.”
After a short exercise and careful deliberation the group finally choose the top qualities for their potential candidates: Strong Leader, Commitment to Shared Governance, People Skills, Scholar, Effective in Conflict Resolution, and much more.
Edington stated that they are looking for a person who will support both universities.
“We need a strong advocate for both institutions, a visionary leader,” Edington said.
According to Edington “A present issue that we need for the college is enrollment growth, particularly on FAMU’s side so we need for someone to embody the skillset and ability to recruit.”
Corey Cresap from New York, New York is a third-year FSU civil engineering student at the institution,
“There are a lot of students here at the College of Engineering. Construction is always going on because their currently expanding the campus, which is good. Our accreditation just pass through which is fantastic because it gives a lot of validity to our degrees when we get out,” Cresap said.
The committee will be meeting again next Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. to further discuss procedures for the interview process. Applicants who wish to apply can go online to www.famu.edu and click on the Employment link for more information.
The submission deadline is February 28, 2016.