Section A·Page 8
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, November 17. 1999
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Quest for new dean begins
By Nathan Willis
writer@kansan.com
Kansan staff writer
University to provide pool of candidates
The fourth dean search of the semester began yesterday but with a new twist.
Unlike the three previous dean searches this semester — for fine arts, law and business deans — the search for a new dean of the graduate school and international programs, which began with a meeting of the search committee yesterday, will not consider candidates outside the University of Kansas.
"In some jobs you have to have so much institutional knowledge," said Provost David Shulenburger. "And that's one of them."
He said that because the graduate school lacked the level of central
authority present in the other schools, a familiar face would ease the transition.
"The authority of the graduate school is relatively decentralized," sulenburger said. "The faculty have got to develop faith in that person. I doubt you could bring someone in from the outside, and do that."
As a result, the search won't need the national publicity the others have had, said Carole Ross, interim dean of fine arts and search committee chairwoman.
Instead, the committee will publicize the position through the Lawrence Journal-World and letters to faculty, Ross said. All full professors will be eligible for the position, she said. "We'll probably meet and look at all the information right after the Feb. 1 deadline."
Members of the committee hope to have a new dean picked by March 1, Ross said.
Meanwhile, current dean, Andrew
Deblicki, will continue to serve through July 31, Shulenburger said, giving the committee plenty of time to make their choice.
He said although it was fairly uncommon to have four dean searches in one semester, it was no cause for alarm. Occasionally, the University has had that many dean searches in the same semester in the past. Shulenburger said.
In addition, two of the dean searches simply are continuations of failed searches from the spring he said. Only two searches actually were started this semester.
Despite the fact that the search is internal, success is not guaranteed. Shulenburger said. Internal searches in the past occasionally have failed to field qualified candidates, he said.
Still, Shulenburger said he was optimistic about finding a good candidate for the job.
"There are plenty of quality people within this University," he said.
Dean to receive award for teaching
— Edited by Rebecca Sutherland
By Amanda Kaschube
writer@kansan.com
Kansas stoff writer
As he prepares to retire as a dean next spring to resume his teaching career, Andrew Debicki has one task to complete that he didn't plan on. He will travel to Chicago Dec. 27 to receive a prestigious award for his long career as a leader in higher education.
Debicki, dean of the graduate school and international programs, has been awarded the Association of Departments of Foreign Languages' Award for Distinguished Service in the Profession. In the association's eight years of existence, Debicki is the fifth person to receive the award.
their career."
He will receive the award at the Modern Language Association's convention Dec. 27 to 30. Debicki said he was surprised when he heard he had been selected.
"I knew I was nominated, but to give me the one award from a group of hundreds of other nominees — I was flattered," he said. "It's generally given to someone at the end of
Debicki, who will be retiring from the dean's position next spring, will return to his full-time teaching roots, which he began in 1968. He plans to teach graduate courses in Spanish.
"The award is for work as a faculty position, not an administrative one," he said.
The ADFL distinguished service award is one of the Modern Language Association's top career awards. The award honors eminent scholar-teachers for exceptional contributions to foreign languages, literatures and cultures.
David Goldberg, assistant director of the association, said Debicki was selected for the award because he was a teacher of all teachers.
"He was recognized for his service, not just scholarship beyond the printed world," Goldberg said. "He is known as a leader of the profession and a representative of the field in the broader community."
Goldberg said Debicki was nominated by Roberta Johnson, director of the Hall Center of the Humanities and professor in Spanish and
Portuguese; Jonathan Mayhew,
associate professor in Spanish and
Portuguese; and two professors
from different universities.
Debicki has been director of three National Endowment of the Humanities summer seminars where he acted as a mentor to several younger professors. He also has published eight books about Spanish poetry, produced 20 Ph.D. students in his field and is known for developing 20th-century Hispanic poetry as a field of study.
In a press release, Cancellor Robert Hemenway praised Debicki and the work he had done in the field.
"I can think of no one more deserving of recognition," he said. "This award brings into focus Andy Debicki's truly extraordinary contributions as a scholar, teacher and leader in higher education."
Despite winning the award, Debicki said he would not simply step out of the limelight.
"I plan on having a long career of teaching," he said. "I'll teach until I can't teach anymore."
Edited by Katie Holman
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