LEADERSHIP

Dean of the College Named

DEANSHIP: Richard Feldman, professor of philosophy, oversees academic and cocurricular programs for undergraduates in the College.

Professor of philosophy’s appointment is part of a new structure for the College’s leadership.

Richard Feldman has a 30-year perspective when it comes to undergraduate academic life at Rochester, but he’s eager to expand his horizons as he begins his appointment as the new dean of the College.

“I’m looking forward to helping outline a plan for growing the College while at the same time making sure we keep the character that has made Rochester special,” he says. “I don’t want to lose the strengths that we have from being small.”

Feldman, who joined the Rochester faculty in 1975 as an assistant professor in the Department of Philosophy, will be a key participant in outlining Rochester’s future as the new dean of the College. Peter Lennie, the Robert L. and Mary L. Sproull Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering, made the announcement this spring as part of a reorganization of the College’s leadership structure. Feldman, who has served twice as chair of the philosophy department, had been serving as interim dean since last July.

As dean, Feldman oversees the academic and cocurricular programs for undergraduates in the College. With responsibility for nearly all programs involving student affairs, he oversees Rochester’s advising programs, residential life, the deans of students, and other offices.

In other changes, Lennie named Joanna Olmsted as the new dean of arts and sciences. Olmsted, who has been dean of faculty development in the College, will have responsibility for academic departments and programs within the arts and sciences.

The position is a parallel to the dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, currently held by Kevin Parker. Parker, the William F. May Professor of Engineering, plans to step down as dean when a new appointee is named.

And Paul Slattery, the current dean of research and graduate studies, has been named the new dean of research, including technology transfer and information technology.

In naming Feldman as the new dean of the College, Lennie said he has been impressed with Feldman’s approach as interim dean over the previous eight months.

“His breadth and depth of experience as an administrator, faculty advisor, and teacher have been especially valuable as we continue to strengthen and enrich our undergraduate programs,” Lennie says.

Feldman says the main challenge in the coming months is planning for the College’s future. Like all units of the University, the College is outlining a strategic plan to guide it over the next several years. One area the College is exploring is how to increase the number of faculty and students.

“We’re likely to grow, and we’re planning for that,” Feldman says. “How we’ll grow and how the student support programs will grow in conjunction with that are some of the challenges we’ll have to pay close attention to.”

Feldman also says he hopes to strengthen the connections that undergraduates have with the Rochester community, noting that such ties provide valuable experience to students while also enriching the surrounding communities.