Geneseo will see some substantial changes next year, as several key faculty members step down from administrative positions.
Dean of the College Susan Bailey will retire at the end of the semester, and both the School of the Arts and the School of Business will have new deans. The anthropology, computer science and chemistry departments will all have new chairs.
According to Dahl, the college is very enthusiastic about the changes. "Polly Radosh [the new dean of the college] is an excellent administrator who is also a graduate from Geneseo," he said.
As SOTA Director Jack Johnston steps down, Jonathan Gonder, current associate vice president for academic affairs and associate professor of music at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, will become the school's first dean.
"In consultation with faculty, we are now looking at a more formal leadership structure... an indication of the value we're placing on the School of the Arts," Dahl said. "[Gonder] is a very good administrator, but also an accomplished musician."
Gonder, who has over 30 years of experience as a pianist, holds a doctorate of musical arts in piano performance from the University of Michigan, as well as master's and bachelor's degrees from the University of Western Ontario.
Mary Ellen Zuckerman will step down as dean of the School of Business and Michael Schinski, associate business professor, will act as chair. Zuckerman will be on sabbatical next semester, as the college conducts a national search to find her permanent replacement.
The chairs of the chemistry, computer science and anthropology departments are all stepping down, a change that is cyclical due to the chairs' three-year terms.
James Boiani of the chemistry department will be replaced by former chair David Geiger, and Christian Shin will take over as computer science chair for Doug Baldwin. Anthropology chair Ellen Kintz, widely known for her dedication to undergraduate research, will retire and open the position to professor Rose-Marie Chierici.
"I'm following a very wonderful chair," Chierici said. "She has been a great mentor to me."
Among other goals, Chierici hopes to incorporate more contemporary issues into the anthropology curriculum.
"The department was run very well by Dr. Kintz," said department secretary Beverly Rex-Burley. "She increased the number of majors from about 35 to 80 in her time here. Dr. Chierici will do a wonderful job though. It will be a transition, but we'll go from one great chair to another."