This week, the three finalists selected for the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences visited campus for a series of meetings and interviews with administrators and faculty members. Student Senate assembled a small but diverse panel of students to meet with the finalists in order to give them some insight into Oberlin’s student body and to gather student feedback for the administration concerning the search.

In a conversation Monday afternoon with students, one of the finalists, Senior Associate Dean of the College Jeremy Teitelbaum from University of Illinois at Chicago, talked about the differences between UIC and Oberlin. According to Teitelbaum, UIC is primarily a research university with a focus on what he called “access to excellence,” an ideal that could translate to the Oberlin campus. Despite the vast differences, Teitelbaum is not a stranger to the small liberal arts college scene — he completed undergraduate studies at Carleton College, later earning his PhD at Harvard University. He has also been a professor of mathematics at the University of Michigan.

In a discussion concerning how to increase available scholarship funds for students, Teitelbaum said, “For those of you receiving financial aid, you get some of it from the federal government, but mostly what you are getting is money that has been invested in you by people who have had opportunities in the past….What is, therefore, incumbent upon you to do upon graduation?”

On Wednesday, another finalist, Mount Holyoke’s Associate Dean of Faculty for Science Sean Decatur, talked about his involvement with the National Institutes for Health, looking at the College Board’s Advanced Placement program in the sciences. Decatur has been on Mount Holyoke’s science faculty since 1995, soon after he graduated from Stanford University with a Ph.D. in chemistry. Like Teitelbaum, Decatur  also has experience on a smaller campus, having earned his bachelor’s degree at Swarthmore College.

Decatur spoke about the recruitment and retention of both faculty members and students of color. He talked with humor and passion, saying that what inspired him was “getting to know students as they mature through their academic career.” Coming to Oberlin would be a homecoming for him and his wife, as both are Cleveland natives.

This afternoon, the last candidate, Dean for Educational Policy, Arts and Sciences Kimberley Phillips from The College of William and Mary, will be speaking with students in Wilder. Phillips has been a professor in the American studies department of Case Western Reserve University and at William and Mary. Check www.oberlinreview.org for an update after the meeting.

As stated in the College’s bylaws, the position of Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences is officially appointed by the President of the College with advice and consultation from a faculty committee. The College’s search began last fall after the committee was elected by the general faculty.

Chaired by Professor of Computer Science Bob Geitz, the panel also includes Associate Professor of Religion Joyce Babyak; Professor of Mathematics Bob Bosch; Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy Yumi Ijiri; Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Manish Mehta; and Associate Professor of History Pablo Mitchell.

Oberlin has also hired an outside academic search firm called Isaacson, Miller. A consultant from the firm assisted Oberlin in building a diverse pool of over 100 applicants and interested candidates.

In several evaluative meetings, College President Marvin Krislov and the committee narrowed the numbers down to 43, then 25 and eventually 11, according to Geitz.

After in-person interviews with the remaining 11 candidates, the committee and Krislov chose to bring Teitelbaum, Decatur and Phillips to campus.

“I’m really encouraged by the pool…. It’s spectacular,” said Krislov.

In addition, a prospectus about the position was drafted with Isaacson, Miller, which provides an overview of the College’s current financial and academic situation, a general briefing of the scope of the campus, goals for the future and details about the position.

The prospectus states, “The College seeks a person who is an accomplished scholar and teacher, who also has a deep affinity for the liberal arts and for undergraduate education, strong management skills and a collaborative disposition suited to an institution where decanal leadership is embedded in faculty governance.”

The dean should be able to work with the faculty and the president to “be a communicator both ways,” said Geitz. “[The dean is] somebody who can help focus the ideas that come [from the faculty] so the ideas start to coalesce around a plan for moving forward.”

A decision will be made as soon as possible in the weeks following Phillips’ visit. The new dean will take office in July.