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Dear Graduate College of Social Work: Thank you for your participation in Graduate College of Social Work Dean Search Listening Sessions. The GCSW Dean Search Committee and Parker Executive Search hosted eight listening sessions between March 25 and April 16. I appreciate that over 100 faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community partners took time to attend and provide input either during the sessions or via the confidential feedback survey. In reflecting on the summaries of your comments, it is my understanding that you expressed a wide range of perspectives about the desired profile of the next dean of the college. I also recognize the importance and need for continued work around healing and restoration in order for us to move forward. As a result, I am in the process of hiring a consultant that will work collaboratively and engage the college through a reparative and reimagining process over the 2024-2025 academic year. Additional updates will be provided as they become available. The GCSW Dean is an important position and I want to be very thorough with the search. This will mean a slightly extended timeline. However, I am hoping we can bring candidates to campus during the spring 2025 semester and ideally have a new dean start by fall 2025. In order to move as quickly as possible, in conjunction with the healing facilitation work starting in the fall, the search committee will work with Parker Executive Search to create a job description and begin recruiting candidates. Additionally, given the that the timeline for the hiring of a new dean will likely take us into the next calendar year, I am exploring options for an interim dean who can fill the position full time until a permanent dean is identified. More information about this will be forthcoming. Lastly, I want to take the opportunity to share my expectation that the search committee will identify candidates who have an established scholarly record; strong leadership skills; experience in fundraising; a demonstrated capacity to meaningfully engage with a diverse range of research agendas and perspectives; the ability to embody social work values; and the vision to realize the opportunities available in the GCSW and at UH. I encourage you to participate in the facilitation process and to continue to engage in the dean search so that we can be ready to welcome a new dean to the college in 2025. I appreciate your support and cooperation. Thank you,Diane Z. Chase |
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