Breslin named dean of faculty, vp
Beau Breslin (Photo by Eric Jenks)
Beau Breslin, professor of government and a member of the Skidmore faculty since 1998, has been appointed dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs at the college, following a national search. Breslin, who has been serving as interim dean and vice president since June, will assume the regular position immediately.
In announcing the appointment, President Philip A. Glotzbach commented, "Through his
distinguished career as a faculty member at Skidmore and his impressive administrative
service, Beau Breslin has demonstrated his capacity to be an outstanding academic
administrator. He brings to his position a broad understanding of the college and
a deep commitment to its fundamental values. He is visionary in regard to our future
and willing to do the work necessary to help us realize our potential. Above all,
he displays the qualities of character necessary to be a creative and effective leader."
Linda Toohey, chair of the Skidmore Board of Trustees, also expressed enthusiasm for
the appointment. "Members of the board know Beau very well from his work as a faculty
member and, more recently, through his service as interim dean of the faculty and
vice president for academic affairs. We appreciate his devotion to Skidmore and to
the work of the college's faculty, and we have been most impressed by his leadership.
The board unanimously endorses this appointment, which we believe will provide vision
for the future as well as continuity for key institutional priorities already under
way."
A noted constitutional scholar, Breslin received M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in political
science (with a concentration in constitutional theory) from the University of Pennsylvania.
He earned a B.A. degree from Hobart College. He has authored two books published by The Johns Hopkins University Press: The Communitarian Constitution (2004) and From Words to Worlds: Exploring Constitutional Functionality(2008). A third book, The Generational Constitution: Jefferson, Madison and the Call for Periodic Constitutional
Renewal, is under contract with Stanford University Press.
Deeply committed to teaching and to liberal education, Breslin received Skidmore's
Ralph A. Ciancio Prize for Excellence in Teaching in 2008 and was elected by the 2004
graduating class to deliver the faculty address at commencement. In addition to his
current duties, Breslin's administrative roles at the college have included department
chair, director of the Law and Society Program, assistant dean, director of the First-Year
Experience, and interim dean of the faculty.
"I am both humbled and deeply honored by this appointment and by the continuing support
of the entire Skidmore community," said Breslin. "The opportunity to help shape the
future of this wonderful institution is, for me, profoundly meaningful, and I look
forward to working with faculty, students, and staff to find creative and innovative
ways to realize our greatest aspirations."
Glotzbach expressed his deep appreciation for the work of the search committee, which
he co-chaired with Professor of English Sarah Goodwin. Said Glotzbach, "The search
committee worked tirelessly since it was constituted last spring. In collaboration
with consultants Steve Leo and Matt Bunting from Storbeck/Pimentel & Associates, the
committee considered over 130 applicants from across the country. In the end, Beau
Breslin emerged from an exceptionally strong field as the clear choice for this position.
This is an important moment for the college, and I am excited at the prospect of working
with Beau over the coming years."