By Erin Melwing

Four active college dean searches are currently underway at UK and, as of Thursday, three have finalists.

The College of Law, the College of Education and the College of Arts and Sciences dean finalists have been announced by the Office of the Provost. The dean search still active is for the dean of the College of Communications and Information Studies.

The provost was out of the office and could not be reached for comment Thursday on another search, for the vice president for student affairs. Victor Hazard, the interim vice president for student affairs, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Although the final hiring decision is the provost’s, search committees are created to advise the provost in his decision, said Lori Gonzalez, co-chair for the College of Education dean search.

Typically, search committees consist of two co-chairs and various students, faculty and community members, Gonzalez said. One co-chair is usually a dean from an outside college within the university and the other co-chair is a department chair within that college, she said.

After search committees generate, review and conduct preliminary interviews with the applicants, the committees make recommendations to the provost, said Elizabeth Lorch, co-chair for the College of Arts and Sciences dean search.

College of Arts and Sciences

Steven Hoch, former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, resigned May 2008 to accept a provost position at Washington State University.

A search committee was created last summer to generate candidates for the position, Lorch said.

Finalists for the position are Chaden Djalali of the University of South Carolina and Mark Kornbluh from Michigan State University. Both finalists have been invited for on-campus interviews in late March. Open forums for faculty, staff and students will also be held for each candidate.

Phil Harling, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, is currently serving as interim dean.

College of Law

Former College of Law Dean Allan Vestal submitted his intent to resign during the fall of 2007 and the position officially opened July 1, 2008.

The search for a new dean began shortly after Vestal publicly announced his intent to resign, but the provost suspended the search for budget reasons later in the year, said Doug Michael, co-chair for the College of

Law dean search. The search was renewed for the 2008-09 academic year.

Finalists for the position are David A. Brennen of the University of Georgia and Association of American Law

Schools, Elizabeth A. Reilly of the University of Akron and Christopher W. Frost of UK’s College of Law. All on-campus interviews and open forums for these candidates occurred in late February and early March.

Louise Graham, a professor in the College of Law, is currently serving as interim dean.

College of Education

Jim Cibulka, former dean of the College of Education, left at the end of the last academic year to accept the position as president of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. The search committee for the College of Education dean was formed over the summer, but the search did not actively proceed until the fall.

“We had a really good field of candidates and the search committee was really pleased with the two candidates that the provost invited to campus,” Gonzalez said.

Finalists for the position are Mary John O’Hair of the University of Oklahoma and Lemuel Watson of Northern Illinois University. O’Hair and Watson are scheduled to visit UK for on-campus interviews in late March. Open forums for faculty, staff and students will be held for each candidate also.

Rosetta Sandidge, an associate professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction and associate dean for academic and student services, is currently presiding as the interim dean.

College of Communications and Information Studies

The College of Communications and Information Studies dean is still active and no finalists have yet been announced by the Office of the Provost.

The position has been open since last year when Dean J. David Johnson announced his intent to leave. A search committee was appointed last November, said Donald Case, co-chair for the College of Communications and Information Studies dean search.

“We’re checking references for a short list of candidates and we hope to give that list to the provost in a week and a half and he’ll then decide who comes to campus,” Case said.

Case anticipates that it could be two to three more weeks until information concerning finalists is made public, he said.

Johnson continues to serve as dean.