Appointment of Professor Natalie McKnight as Interim Dean of the College of General Studies
From Dr. Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
I write to announce that President Brown and I have appointed Professor Natalie McKnight as Interim Dean of the College of General Studies (CGS), effective July 1, 2013. Interim Dean McKnight will succeed Dean Linda Wells, who is stepping down following thirteen years of remarkable service in leadership of CGS.
Professor McKnight has served as Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development at CGS since 2011, as Chair of the Humanities Division from 1997-2011, and has been a member of the CGS faculty since 1990. As Director of CGS’s Center for Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning (CITL), she has been a key contributor to strengthening the CGS program and has led the ePortfolio assessment project funded by the Davis Educational Foundation to quantitatively evaluate the success of the CGS curriculum. As Interim Dean, Professor McKnight is extraordinarily well suited to continue the enhancement of the CGS program and to extend the reputation of CGS as a national leader in general education. She will serve in this role for the duration of the 2013-2014 academic year, at the conclusion of which we will consider the establishment of a new, formal search for a permanent Dean.
I would like to thank the members of the CGS Dean Search Advisory Committee, who worked diligently throughout the spring 2013 semester to identify and vet candidates, and to provide guidance to President Brown and me in making this important appointment. We are grateful to the committee members and especially to its chair, College of Communication Professor and Associate Dean James Shanahan, for their efforts. The appointment of an Academic Dean is among the most important decisions that we make; the committee helped us to gain appreciation for the issues facing CGS as well as the qualities and attributes necessary for a successful leader of the College.
Ultimately, we did not concur with the final recommendations of the Advisory Committee and, instead, have decided to appoint Natalie McKnight as Interim Dean. We believe this is the right course of action for CGS and for Boston University at this time.
We are grateful to Natalie for agreeing to serve as Interim Dean of the College. Her significant experience and boundless energy make her an outstanding choice to lead CGS. Please join President Brown and me in congratulating Natalie McKnight on her appointment and welcoming her to this leadership role.