By JACKSON WANG
Executive Editor
The search for the next dean of the School of Arts and Humanities is down to its final stages. The first of three candidates stopped by The College of Saint Rose last week for a visit. Leroy Bynum of Albany State University spoke for about an hour on Friday with administrators, faculty members, and students in the Carondolet Symposium.
Bynum, who’s currently the dean of Arts and Humanities at Albany State University, dished out background information and some insights on what he would be like as dean for Saint Rose.
“It’s our job, as higher educators, for students to have a broad education,” said Bynum, referring to the liberal arts education that students receive from the College.
He also mentioned the importance of diversity nowadays because the world is getting smaller due to today’s technologies. And with all these new tools available, Bynum said he wants to make sure new programs will pop up at Saint Rose and facilitate them to students.
“I want to be the leader among them to bring that vision,” Bynum said.
But in order to bring new technologies and programs to the College, fundraising will be a necessity. That’s why Bynum said raising money would be one of his first tasks here at Saint Rose, and the best way to get started on it is by getting to know the community.
“I’ll help find grants, internally and externally,” Bynum said. “It’s one of the jobs of the dean.”
Recently, Saint Rose launched a huge marketing campaign with advertisements all over the internet, newspapers, and bus stops in an attempt to increase enrollment. But while displaying what the College has to offer is important, Bynum believes the institution has to find students that are willing to learn.
“The student has to be willing to participate in his or her education,” Bynum said. “Getting the right students for arts and humanities is important.”
But Bynum also said Saint Rose has a lot of great people and stories, and believes the College needs to give more attention to those people for better marketing.
“Saint Rose needs to really, really hone its ability to tell its story better,” Bynum said. “Everyone is fabulous. The world should know you all.”
Bynum earned his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, master’s at University of South Florida, doctorate from University of Georgia, and several musical certificates from institutions around the world.
But Bynum, who currently resides in Georgia, is originally from New York state, growing up in Manhattan and Saranac Lake. He also joked that if he gets the dean position at Saint Rose, his biggest challenge will be separating Albany, GA and Albany, NY.
“People are going to wonder which Albany I’m talking about,” Bynum said.
Bynum actually thought he was going to Albany, NY over 20 years ago, around the timewhen he got his first teaching position at Albany State University. He soon learned that the flight from Atlanta was turning south, instead of north, sending him to Albany, GA.
What brings him to Albany, NY today is the fact that Saint Rose has a lot of similarities to Albany State University, but of course at a different location, said Bynum. And during his short visit at the College, he says he has really enjoyed what the campus has to offer.
Jean Paul, assistant director of human resources and a member of the search committee for the new dean, says it was Bynum’s experience as a dean right now that made the committee want to bring him in for a visit.
“Overall, we thought his credentials looked good on paper and it has materialized in real life,” Paul said. “So I thought he made a good first impression.”
Two more candidates are scheduled to visit Saint Rose this week. Email invites were only sent out to full-time faculty members of the School of Arts and Humanities and administrators asking them to attend the open interviews. No email invite went out to students of the School of Arts and Humanities.
Tamara Jhashi, an associate professor of art history at Oakland University in Michigan, will be at Saint Rose on Wednesday. Jeffrey Fager, vice president of academic affairs at Iowa Wesleyan College, will be at the College on Thursday.
“After the interviews are done, the decision making process will begin,” Paul said.
The search committee will then make recommendations for Provost Hadi Salavitabar, who will ultimately decide who the next dean of the School Arts and Humanities for the College will be. No timetable has been set on when the decision will be made.
