A committee of faculty, staff and students is deciding who will be the new Dean of Technology.
The search began as a national advertising campaign before the winter holidays. The committee will decide who will replace current Interim Dean Joseph Frizado. Frizado took the place of former Dean Wayne Unsell, who stepped down to faculty a couple years ago according to Rodney Rogers, chair of the search committee and dean of the College of Business.
The search committee of 14 people started going through more than 40 applications at the start of the semester, Rogers said.
Anyone interested had to meet a number of qualifications before applying. Preferred qualifications included “knowledge of and experience with emerging technological innovations in education, comprehensive understanding of national and state trends and issues in [Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics], and commitment to promoting diversity,” according to the application form.
“[Most important is] their relationship to community, management styles and fundraising,” said Assistant Professor Stan Guidera, a member of the search committee.
After receiving applications, the committee narrowed the candidates down to ten. After that, each candidate met with committee members at a restaurant for an hour and a half talk.
“We’d discuss skills, background and approach to managing,” Rogers said.
After the meetings, the committee narrowed the list down once again to three candidates. Those three candidates were then encouraged to separately visit the University for a day and a half to familiarize themselves with the campus and meet faculty and staff members.
The final three candidates are: Bruce Berdanier, professor and head of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at South Dakota State University; Faris Malhas, a dean from West Virginia University’s Leonard C. Nelson College of Engineering and Sciences; and Fatih Rifki, Dean of the Architecture department at Montana State University.
After each candidate visits the campus, the committee will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the candidates.
“Ultimately the provost decides after the committee presents pros and cons,” Rogers said.
Malhas visited the University Feb. 14-15 and met with leadership groups. He presented ideas about how to work toward the University System of Ohio’s goal to double the number of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates by 2017, and how he planned to promote diversity while doing so.
He shared ideas of creating activities specifically for minority groups and disability workshops. He said he wants to “hit the ground running” by shifting the curriculum to concentrate more on those groups as well.
“I would like to think my visit went well,” Malhas said. “I became enthusiastic during my visit.”
Rifki was on campus Feb. 17-18. Like Malhas, he gave a 30-minute presentation, which also covered diversity.
“That is a question not just to me, but to the whole college,” Rifki said. “It is a decision that needs to be collectively made. Increased participation in STEM is beneficial. We are all creative people. We all have ideas. [Solutions] cannot happen behind closed doors.”
Rifki also said at the forum he is confident in making final decisions.
“At the end of the day, I will not hesitate to make a decision,” Rifki said. “I will bite the bullet and sometimes make unpopular decisions.”
Rifki said he has been familiar with the University, after being in academics for 27 years, saying it’s a “small world.” He said he was interested in working at the University because of the “potential the College of Technology has.” He also said he thinks being the Dean of Architecture has prepared him to be the Dean of Technology because the two go hand in hand.
At the open forum, Associate Dean of the College of Technology Alan Atalah asked Rifki how he planned to work around Ohio’s current financial situation.
Rifki said although Montana is not facing a deficit, there have been some cuts in the education system. He said he would address pay increases and bonuses if he were the new dean.
“We need to introduce alternative support … rewards rather than dollars,” Rifki said.
Berdanier will be making his visit to campus today and tomorrow. His open forum will be Monday at 3 p.m. in 113 Olscamp Hall. He was originally supposed to be on campus Feb. 7 but was forced to reschedule because of weather conditions and air travel delays.
After Berdanier’s open forum Monday, videos of all three sessions will be uploaded online at bgsu.edu/offices/provost. On the same webpage, there are links to each candidate’s curriculum vitae, application letter and evaluation form.
After Monday, Provost Kenneth Borland will decide on the new Dean of Technology.
