Three open positions in key academic affairs specialties, Vice President for Research, Vice Provost for Graduate Education, and an interim Dean of the Erickson School for Aging Studies, are being vacated at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year. A search for replacements is currently underway.

The Vice President for Research and the Vice Provost for Graduate Education (Dean of the Graduate School) are positions that were open at the end of last academic year and the permanent replacements for these positions are sought. In an e-mail from Provost Elliot Hirshman addressed to the UMBC community, these positions should be filled by July 1, 2009, and the search committees (chaired by key UMBC administrative personnel) have been formed and are "broadly representative."

Dr. Diane Lee, Vice Provost and Dean of Undergraduate Education, will be at the helm of the search for candidates to fill the interim Dean of the Erickson School position, being vacated by present Dean J. Kevin Eckhart. According to the Erickson School's mission statement, the school seeks to "educate a community of leaders in practice and scholarship who will improve society by enhancing the lives of older adults." This is a crucial position to UMBC, due to the amount of attention the Erickson School and its faculty have been paid recently for its work in the field, especially as the Baby Boomer population is in increasing need of care.

This search, as with the other two positions, will be internal and open to UMBC faculty and staff. A position description was released by Eleanor Lewis on March 30, and Lee elaborated on the qualifications and values candidates for the deanship of the Erickson School must possess, which include a Ph.D. and tenure eligibility as a faculty member in the field of aging. "Desired qualities include a collaborative leadership style, ability to work effectively with faculty across the disciplines, familiarity with development and external funding, and a personal and professional commitment to advancing diversity," remarked Lee, who also noted that the candidate for the position have experience in administrative positions in higher education. Lastly, Lee indicated that "the interim dean will serve as the chief academic and administrative officer of the Erickson School, directing its growth and development."

Heading the search for Vice President for Research is Dr. John Jeffries, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, whose office confirmed that there is a candidate for the position coming in this week for consideration and that there will be an upcoming forum for the candidate to meet members of the UMBC community who are interested in the search. The current interim Vice President for Research is Geoffrey P. Summers. The research department at UMBC is important to the university, as it provides guidance, and some funding, for research projects at UMBC, including Undergraduate Research Awards. Because of UMBC's solid foundation in research, this search will be a crucial one as it rounds out.

Dr. Marilyn Demorest, Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs, is in charge of the search for the Vice Provost for Graduate Education, currently occupied in the interim by Dr. Janet Rutledge. This position handles overall administration and management of the graduate school and its wide range of programs available for post-graduates.

Further information on the search for Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Vice President for Research from Drs. Jeffries and Demorest was unavailable at press time.

"Once the search committees have completed their initial work, calls for applications/nominations will be sent to the community," according to the e-mail sent by Hirshman, indicating that talent for all three positions will be drawn from within the UMBC community.