As the new academic year starts, the College is feeling the effects of the many administrative changes that happened at the end of last semester and over the summer.
At the beginning of June, Vice President of Finance Andy Evans left Oberlin College after nine years as a financial officer to serve as vice president for finance and treasurer at Wellesley College. He will be temporarily replaced by Associate Vice President for Finance Ronald Watts, who will take on the position of acting president for finance for the 2004-2005 academic year. Watts has a lot of experience in Oberlin’s financial world, as he has served as assistant controller, associate controller and controller during his 27 years at the College.
While the College administration keeps searching for a new dean of students, Linda Gates, former director of student support services and associate dean of student academic services, is still serving as an acting dean of students. Gates took on the job at the beginning of May, after Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith passed away.
The College of Arts and Sciences also acquired a new associate dean and dean. Bruce Richards, professor of physics and an Oberlin graduate from the class of 1963, was appointed as associate dean of arts and sciences for the 2004-2005 school year. He served as associate dean from 1996 to 2001.
Jeffrey Witmer, professor of mathematics and an associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences for two years, was appointed by the president as acting dean of arts and sciences for the 2004-2005 academic year. College President Nancy Dye announced that in early September the secretary of the College will put into motion the process of electing a faculty committee to search for a permanently appointed dean.
Jeffrey Winter is replacing Clayton Koppes, who has been appointed to the position of Oberlin’s provost.
The position of the provost was created this year by President Nancy Dye and Koppes was appointed in June.
“The president feels that she needs to spend more time off-campus, especially [in connection with] fundraising and she wanted to let go of some of the functions that she handled,” Koppes said.
“The provost is the person who is in charge of the campus when I’m not here,”
Dye said. “He is the senior officer who stands in for the president. I’m confident this will be a good change.”
The exact functions of the Oberlin provost are still to be determined. As Koppes said, most institutions have provosts these days, but it is up to the institution to define the position. At the moment, much like many other people in the administration, the Oberlin provost is involved with the increased tension on campus, among other things.
“I’ve been particularly interested in strategic issues, budgeting issues, also informational technology,” Koppes said. Among his other plans for the position are include working to stregnthen the science division and some grant initiatives. These are some of the things that differ from his old position as a dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.
“One of the differences is that I have less direct involvement with faculty, which I would miss,” Koppes said. “There is also more contact with students and I welcome that; I greatly respect Oberlin students.”