Mary Ella Feinleib announces resignation

College dean to leave after only seven months on the job

Mary Ella Feinleib announced her resignation as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Wednesday after only seven months on the job.

Feinleib will step down effective March 22 and Professor of Classics James Helm will take over the position until a permanent replacement can be found.

The resignation was announced in a letter dated this Wednesday from Feinleib to members of the College Faculty and in an all-campus mailing from President Nancy Dye that was sent out Thursday.

"There have been a number of personal and professional needs and commitments she has," Dye said in an interview Thursday.

Dye said Feinleib's resignation was finalized early this week. "It is her decision to resign," Dye said.

Feinleib did not return messages left in her office Thursday.

The resignation caught most Oberlin faculty by surprise. "I think it was a surprise that it happened as quickly as it did," Professor of History Clayton Koppes said.

"I think Mary Ella is a bright, interesting person with a cosmopolitan outlook and I think she was a welcome addition to the College community," Koppes said.

Others have said she was open with members of the College Faculty about the budgeting process.

Some faculty members have said that Feinleib has not been very visible in the Oberlin community since arriving in August.

Feinleib's first major task as dean was to find a way to trim more than $300,000 from the annual budget of her division, a role which members of the College Faculty Council (CFC) said she was uncomfortable with.

Several faculty members have pointed to the February meeting of the College Faculty as a low point for Feinleib. During that meeting, Feinleib presented information about the cuts to her division and, some faculty said, did not exhibit strong leadership.

Feinleib's job as the college's top academic administrator included managing the faculty and making many personnel decisions, in consultation with the CFC, an elected committee of faculty.

The CFC met Thursday afternoon. Formally, members said they did not discuss the resignation. Members of the council who were reached Thursday were reluctant to comment.

"I am saddened to see her leave," said Associate Professor of Computer Science Bob Geitz, a member of the council.

In her letter to the faculty, Feinleib said she planned to remain at her post until the end of this academic year. "I have concluded that it is no longer possible for me to continue as dean."

She said she will work with Helm as he settles into his job.

Dye's letter announced that a search committee for a new dean is already being formed.

The faculty will elect a committee to search for a new dean. The final ballots to fill the committee are due April 8.

Whether the search will be national or local will not be decided until a search committee is appointed.

Traditionally, Oberlin's dean of the college has been chosen from within the faculty. Last year, all three finalists for the position were from outside Oberlin.

Feinleib came to Oberlin from a position as dean of arts and sciences at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. At Tufts, Feinleib was also a professor of biology.

In her letter, Feinleib said she'll miss Oberlin: "You have become my good colleagues and friends, and I sincerely appreciate the opportunity I have had to work with you toward our common goals, even for a short time."

Helm said plans for him to fill in as dean were solidified Monday. Helm was an interim dean of the college during the fall of 1992 when then-Dean Al MacKay was filling in for President S. Frederick Starr, who was on sabbatical.

Helm said the offer was not one he expected. "It's not exactly a task I relish, but it's a position that needs to be filled," he said.

Dye said she and the CFC decided Helm would be a good choice as interim dean.

"He is universally respected by both faculty members and the administration," Dye said.

Dean Feibleib: Feibleib's resignation announced.(file photo)