New dean for SAS graduate studies named

Classical Studies Professor Joseph Farrell succeeded History Professor Walter Licht as the School of Arts and Sciences' associate dean for graduate studies beginning July 1, SAS Dean Samuel Preston announced earlier this summer. Licht had decided several months ago that he could better focus on the duties of his other administrative position -- as a "divisional" dean in SAS -- if he stepped down from his role as associate dean. Farrell will now assume responsibility for SAS' 36 graduate groups -- which range from Demography to Ancient History to Comparative Literature -- and will supervise the school's distributed learning programs. There are approximately 2,300 students enrolled in SAS' graduate programs. Farrell, who arrived at the University in 1984, is the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Endowed Term Professor in the Humanities. He had been serving as the undergraduate chairperson of Comparative Literature as well as chairperson of the Classical Studies graduate group, but will give up both positions for his new appointment. He will, however, continue teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Preston offered the position to Farrell in June and he accepted a week later. "I was surprised because I had never actually contemplated having that kind of administrative role," Farrell said. But Preston said appointing Farrell -- who also headed SAS' Committee on Distributed Learning this year -- was an "easy choice." "[Farrell] has shown himself to be a terrifically talented administrator in many roles," Preston said. Licht, meanwhile, had been "doing two jobs this past year," according to Preston, as both a "divisional" dean responsible for most of the social sciences and area studies and as the associate dean for graduate studies. "It was simply too much work to do both of those jobs," Preston said. Licht will also continue to oversee five academic apartments -- Anthropology, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, History, Sociology and South Asian Regional Studies -- and will also be responsible for the Political Science Department in the upcoming year. Licht said that he and Preston had agreed that supervision of the Political Science Department -- which has been actively seeking to hire more faculty members for more than two years -- would make an "untenable job even more untenable." "If I had remained graduate dean, I never would have given [the Political Science Department] full attention," Licht said, adding that he will continue to work closely with the designated departments on personnel matters, hirings, recruitment, promotion and other related issues. In addition, Licht will resume responsibility for SAS' 21 research centers and its numerous area studies initiatives. "I really have the chance to be much more hands-on with the departments and centers," Licht added. Licht had served as associate dean since 1995, while Farrell had been undergraduate dean of Comparative Literature since 1991.