Chancellor Phillip L. Clay has announced the formation of the committee that will advise him in the search for a new dean for graduate students. The current dean, Isaac M. Colbert, is stepping down at the end of June.
Clay said, "Dean Colbert has been vigorous in leading our efforts to strengthen graduate student life. The next dean will be able to build on those accomplishments."
The Graduate Students Office plays a "critical role for graduate students. While departments play the central role in managing graduate education, the GSO manages the graduate commons--from housing and non-departmental scholarships to counseling and international student support," Clay said.
The committee that will advise Clay on the search for a new dean will be chaired by Stephen C. Graves, the Abraham Siegel Professor of Management, and will also include Professors Diane E. Davis, Thomas J. Greytak, Roger G. Mark, Melissa Nobles and Christine Ortiz, as well as Elizabeth M. Hicks, executive director of Student Financial Services. Additionally, the Graduate Student Council will nominate a student member of the committee.
Clay noted that the office coordinates the activities of a number of offices across campus with respect to graduate students. The GSO itself plays an important role in recruitment and support of minority students and is the liaison with foundations and agencies that provide support to MIT for graduate students. The dean, who is a member of the Institute's Academic Council, manages the review of new programs and enforces relevant rules regarding graduate students.
MIT and the Graduate Student Office "look to the next dean to continue these roles and to work with faculty, students, departments and others even more closely to strengthen support for graduate students and to enhance graduate community," Clay said.
The new dean, who is expected to be a member of the faculty, will also participate in the recently launched Campaign for Students.
The advisory committee is expected to submit a short list of candidates in mid-April.
A version of this article appeared in MIT Tech Talk on January 24, 2007 (download PDF).
