Search committee seeks team builder as next Graduate School dean
The search for the next dean of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Graduate School is officially underway.
The Graduate School deanship is the key leadership post for all of UW–Madison graduate education, a landscape that encompasses more than 9,000 students pursuing graduate degrees in 150 programs of study, 40 of them ranked among the top 10 in the United States.
A 15-member search and screen committee, chaired by veterinary medicine Professor Tony Goldberg, is seeking candidates to fill a new leadership role. Previously, Martin Cadwallader served as both the dean of the Graduate School and vice chancellor for research. The dual role was split this year with the creation of a new Office of Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education. The new dean will report to the vice chancellor. The school is currently led by Interim Dean Wendy Crone, a professor of engineering physics.
“What we’re looking for is a collaborative, creative and flexible team builder who is comfortable with the idea that this is a newly-defined position,” says Goldberg. “This is a full, national search. We’re hoping to attract the best possible candidates from a strong and diverse pool of applicants.”
According to Goldberg, the leadership qualities sought for this critical position include a demonstrated commitment to graduate education; a record of accomplishment and innovation, especially at the graduate level; an ability to transcend disciplines; a commitment to advancing diversity in graduate education; a record of scholarly achievement, including attracting extramural support; and a history of success as a leader, especially in the context of managing complex budgets and serving as a member of an executive leadership team.
Finalists will be interviewed by the search and screen committee as well as by the vice chancellor for research and graduate education, the chancellor, and others. The process is expected to be completed sometime this spring.
Other members of the search and screen committee include student representative Mauriell Amechi, life sciences communication Professor Dominique Brossard, pathology and laboratory medicine Professor Zsuzsanna Fabry, journalism and mass communications Professor Jo Ellen Fair, student representative Rachel Feldman, social work Professor Jan Greenberg, instrument maker Darrell Hamilton, educational leadership and policy analysis Professor Carolyn Kelley, biomolecular chemistry Professor Jim Keck, German Professor Venkat Mani, School of Medicine and Public Health Student Services Coordinator Mallory Musolf, College of Engineering Student Services Coordinator Mary Possin, Division of Continuing Studies Vice Provost and Dean Jeff Russell, and astronomy Professor Ellen Zweibel.
The email for nominations or questions about the search is: gradschool-dean-search@research.wisc.edu.
