With the presidential search over at last, the Oberlin faculty — and President Marvin Krislov — have set their sights on filling another important vacant position: Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

At the beginning of the ’06-’07 school year, Harry Hirsch announced that he was stepping down as dean after one year in office. Since then, Professor of Mathematics Jeff Witmer has filled in as acting dean. The College put off selecting a new dean until this year in order to focus on the presidential search.

“The bylaws call for a committee to be elected by the faculty to give advice to the president,” explained Witmer. “They’ll work with the president in conducting a search.”

The faculty elected this committee at the beginning of this school year, designating Computer Science Professor Bob Geitz as its chairman. “We’re working with a consulting firm to help build up the most diverse pool possible,” said Geitz of the search. “We will then whittle down the pool.”

This past Wednesday, the five committee members held a forum to field questions and suggestions from faculty members about the search process and what the College might be looking for in candidates.

Committee members requested that no faculty member be directly quoted during the forum, to ensure that faculty members felt comfortable expressing any and all opinions.

Among the issues discussed was whether the new dean should be someone from outside or inside Oberlin’s faculty. Most faculty members seemed open to both options.

“I expect that they’ll look outside the College,” said Witmer. “They’ll conduct a national search.” Indeed, the committee plans to look nationally, using the consulting firm for help in finding as many qualified candidates as possible.

But eyes will also be on candidates closer to home. “We certainly are encouraging internal applications,” said Geitz. During the forum, committee members encouraged the attending faculty to nudge worthy colleagues both inside and out of Oberlin to apply.

Faculty members also asked about the relationship between the committee and President Krislov. Committee members expressed confidence that, though Krislov will be involved in the process, they will have a large say as well.

“The bylaws make it clear that the faculty cannot choose a dean that the president is opposed to and that the president cannot choose a dean that the faculty is opposed to,” explained Geitz. “I’m sure that we will be able to work together with the president on this.”

Other issues raised at the forum included faculty and student course loads, transparency of decision-making and the need to find a dean who both keeps things organized and has a vision for Oberlin’s future.

According to Geitz, the forum on Wednesday was the first of several. Geitz said that students would also be integrated into the search as much as they desire. He said that Student Senate especially might have a role to play.

However, he explained why faculty opinion carries more weight in this circumstance.

“The dean at Oberlin is much more concerned with faculty issues than with student issues. That means this search is more centered on faculty,” said Geitz. Among other things, the dean will be in charge of faculty hiring and salaries among other things.

“I think we all have common interests,” he continued, “We want to see the school move in a positive direction…Our interests and student interests are very closely aligned in this case.”

Both Witmer and Geitz emphasized that the dean selection process is still in its infancy, and both saw the process as coming to a close in spring or late winter, when, if all goes as planned, the committee and president will bring the finalist to campus.

Expressing the wishes of all, Witmer concluded, “I hope they choose a good person.”