Established 1826 — Oldest College Newspaper West of the Alleghenies
NEWS

Dean of students steps down

Miami's Dean of Students and Associate Vice President of Student Affairs, Mike Curme, will be stepping down from his position at the end of this semester.

Curme, who first came to the university in 1988, said he chose to move on now for a number of reasons. He said he felt there should be a term limit for the position, equivalent to a senatorial stint, and after five and a half years as dean of students, it was time for him to move on.

"I came to Miami because of the quality of our students," Curme said. "I say most sincerely that it has been a privilege to serve them in this role."

Additionally, Curme said in stepping down, he hopes to give the university the ability to upgrade the position, itself, before the next academic year begins.

Looking to fill the gap left by Curme's departure quickly, he university is already advertising for the position of dean of students, posting job ads on career sites like Glassdoor, Indeed and CareerBliss.

The ad states that Miami is looking for "a visionary and student-centered administrator with a passion for student growth, learning and success."

The Division of Student Affairs has invited the Miami community to attend open sessions for potential candidates to fill Curme's role.

The first session began on Monday with Gwen Fears. The division has scheduled three more sessions from 1:15-2:15 p.m. for May 7, 9 and 11 with Gary Dickstein, Kimberly Moore and Montrose Streeter, respectively.

All of the sessions are held in the Goggin Club Lounge.

Jayne Brownell, vice president of student affairs at Miami, is chairing the search committee for the new dean.

"The position is incredibly crucial to Miami," Brownell said. "The dean is the forward face of student affairs to the students. They need to be someone that students can connect to. They need to be committed to making sure that every Miami student is connected, supported and respected."

Brownell said that the position requires an individual with a broad skill set, and that any candidates would need to be able to balance student relations, community standards, academic values and the ability to respond well to crises.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

According to Brownell, the university conducted extensive phone interviews with eight candidates initially, but has since reduced that number to four. These potential hirees will be coming to campus next week for further screening, including meetings with President Crawford and an open campus forum.

Curme plans to remain with the university following the transition as an associate professor of economics within the Farmer School of Business.

headledd@miamioh.edu

Read More

Trending